WEATHERSFIELD — The Selectboard unanimously approved the hiring of a 30-year-old municipal official from southeastern Massachusetts as the new town manager.
Brandon Gulnick, a Lakeville, Mass., resident who currently is the chief grant writer for the city of Fall River, Mass., will begin Feb. 3 at an annual salary of $77,000. Gulnick was chosen among a pool of about 30 candidates, which was trimmed to nine for interviews. He replaces Ed Morris, who left in September to become the new city manager in Claremont.
In a phone interview on Tuesday, Gulnick, 30, said Weathersfield, a town of 2,800, filled both his professional and personal goals.
“I pursued the town manager position in Weathersfield because I feel the position is in line with my personal and leadership style and aligns with the key initiatives they are looking to do,” Gulnick said.
In his current job in Fall River, a city of about 90,000, Gulnick’s grantwriting duties cover 21 city departments, 11 elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school. He also works part-time for the town of Pembroke, Mass., as the project manager, grant manager, affordable housing coordinator and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) coordinator a post that he previously held full time.
A native of Massachusetts, Gulnick earned an associate’s degree, undergraduate degree and master’s at Valdosta State University in Georgia before returning to Massachusetts where he began his career working in finance.
“My education and experience has been leading me to a town manager position,” Gulnick said. “I was a finalist in a couple of other places.”
Selectboard Chairwoman Kelly Murphy said the board saw in Gulnick someone with solid administrative experience combined with enthusiasm and commitment to a public administration career with the recent completion of his master’s degree.
“He is passionate about his career path and is going after it strong,” Murphy said.
She said the board wanted someone with strong leadership skills who also was willing to do the research when necessary on a particular issue to obtain the required knowledge to make the right decision for the town.
“Brandon has that,” Murphy said. “What he doesn’t know, he is driven to learn it.”
Gulnick, who grew up in Middleborough, Mass., also said rural Vermont appealed to both he and his wife, Erika, for its outdoor recreational opportunities. Murphy said he already emailed her about the plans for a trail network around Mount Ascutney.
When he begins next month, Gulnick said he wants to focus on implementing the town plan, creating a proactive grant system and economic development.
“I want to encourage home businesses that are appropriate for the rural setting in Weathersfield,” Gulnick said.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
