Hadley Select Board Delays Town Administrator Hire, Schedules June 4 Follow-Up Interviews

HADLEY -- May 27, 2025, Hadley Select Board interviews three town administrator finalists but defers hiring decision to June 4. The board, facilitated by consultant John Petrin of Community Paradigm, spent the evening questioning Nick Kakamo, the current town administrator in Williamsburg; Alex Lent, a library director with municipal management experience in Danvers and Leominster; and Nate Malloy, a senior planner with nearly 17 years at the Town of Amherst. Petrin noted 16 applications were received, five were screened, and three finalists were presented. All three candidates made presentations on handling a hypothetical $800,000 Proposition 2 1/2 levy limit override. After deliberations, no board member felt confident enough to decide immediately, with Chair Randy Eiser stating "in my head right now, it's not obvious," and Member Molly Keegan saying she would vote for none of the three if forced to decide the following night. The board unanimously adjourned without a hire and scheduled a second abbreviated interview for Kakamo and Malloy on June 4 at 4:30 p.m., ahead of a separate water and sewer rate hearing at 6 p.m. The meeting opened with unanimous approval of the firefighters union contract with IAFF Local 5486.