By Carol Britton Meyer

Town Manager Jennifer Constable earned high marks on her annual evaluation, presented at last week’s select board meeting.

“In seven out of 10 evaluation points, she attained either achieved or exceeded all measurements,” Chair Irwin Nesoff said. “The town manager is managing a lot of capital and large projects, and we’ve had a balanced budget for the past two years and expect one to be presented [for Fiscal 2027]. Overall, her work in managing the town has been more than acceptable. This is an excellent evaluation.”

Constable was hired in July 2023 to replace Philip Lemnios. Previously, she served on the select board for seven years and was a member of the planning board and the affordable housing committee. Prior to her appointment as Hull’s town manager, she was the assistant town administrator in Rockland for five years.

The subjects of the town manager’s evaluation include individual characteristics, including Constable’s professional skills, policy execution, staffing, supervision, and fiscal management.

Nesoff also named three subjects that need further attention – relations with elected members of the town’s governing body, reporting, and citizen relations.

As a result, he proposed after discussion with the town’s labor attorney that the board seek assistance from International City/County Management Association (ICMA) or the Massachusetts Municipal Association to facilitate a process between the select board and town manager “to better understand their roles and how to work together more closely to advance the town’s needs,” Nesoff said. “I want to stress that his is not an unusual process, and many organizations do this and bring in outside people to help facilitate discussions between boards and staff to ensure a positive working relationship.”

He added that he wanted to make it clear that he’s “not at all saying we don’t have one, but I want everything to move toward excellence. There is always room for improvement.”

The board voted to move forward with the facilitation process, except for member Jerry Taverna, who said he thinks board members would be able to work out any issues among themselves.

Once a plan is approved from the facilitation process, informal updates will be presented at three- and six-month intervals.

Constable’s achievements that were detailed include managing the upcoming relocation of town offices to Memorial School, her work on the Nantasket Avenue seawall project and the proposed public safety facility project, completion of a five-year capital plan, the successful negotiation of five collective bargaining agreements; and resolution of the lawsuit regarding the contractor hired to work on the Crescent Beach seawall.

Select board member Greg Grey noted that Constable has made “a lot of incredible changes and progress.”

The board’s evaluation followed her self-evaluation. Constable’s three-year employment contract expires in August, and negotiations are expected to begin well before then.

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