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Photo (modified) of Westwood Town Hall by John Phelan from Wikimedia Commons; Inset photo of Connor Read courtesy of Connor Read.
Westwood will have a new Town Administrator on February 1, 2026, following Westwood Select Board's decision at its remotely held meeting of December 8th to approve the contract negotiated between town counsel and Select Board's choice to fill the position, Connor Read.
Currently, the Interim Town Administrator position is held by Molly Fitzpatrick, who stepped into that role from her job as Deputy Town Administrator upon the departure of Christopher Coleman.
Town Counsel Pat Ahearn did not describe specific contract terms, and Select Board members did not have any questions. The board therefore quickly and unanimously voted to approve a new employment agreement to be effective February 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.
"I'm really excited about it. It was great working with Pat and the team," said Mr. Read. "I've been meeting with Molly [Fitzpatrick] and starting to get read up on the work that's waiting. I'm really excited to be coming on board."
Mr. Read is currently the Town Administrator for the Town of Easton, where he has held that position since 2017. Prior to becoming Easton's Town Administrator, Mr. Read served as Select Board's Citizens Business Advocate, Acting Town Clerk, and both Assistant and Acting Town Administrator.
Moderate or heavy snow showers, with a high of 30 and low of 17 degrees. Partly Cloudy during the morning, sunny for the afternoon, clear during the evening, light freezing rain overnight.
The Select Board will never admit they were wrong, and thus, will press forward. And based on Town Council's very bad advice.
But what are friends for?
Circle the wagons...
After we get by this, we need to circle back and call for a Recall of ALL Select Board Members.
Wow, thank you for that comprehensive explanation of this issue. public hearings before the suit was filed could have gone a long way toward avoiding this controversy and the distrust in our leaders it has sown.
Glad you found the article informative! Appreciate the positive feedback!
Congratulations, Erin, for not only raising these important issues regarding the town's lawsuit but taking action like the petition to force the town to give it's residents a chance to ask questions in a public forum. The overwhelming success of the petition augurs well for the special town meeting.