WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The Selectboard has tapped an auditor from Oakland, Calif., as Hartford’s next town manager following a months-long search.
Tracy Yarlott-Davis was appointed to the permanent position during a virtual Selectboard meeting Tuesday night. Yarlott-Davis, who will become Hartford’s first female town manager, has spent the last four years as lead auditor for the city of Berkeley, which has a population of 120,000 residents. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in public policy from Mills College.
“I am so excited to head east,” said Yarlott-Davis, who appeared virtually during the meeting. “One of the things I loved about Hartford … was that there’s a lot of ‘try’ out there and there’s a lot of good community.”
She will take over from interim Town Manager John MacLean in mid-February, Board Chairman Dan Fraser said at the meeting.
Yarlott-Davis was unanimously selected by both a search committee and the Selectboard after the long process of looking for a permanent town manager, which started in the summer. Former Town Manager Brannon Godfrey announced his resignation in the spring and the position was taken over by two other interim town managers while officials looked for a permanent candidate.
During that time, Fraser said the board has interviewed over 40 candidates and eventually expanded their search from the east coast to a nationwide application.