ROCKPORT — Now that the finalists for the position have expressed why they believe they're the best person to fill Rockport's chief executive post, selectmen say they hope to choose a new town administrator next week.

It was a tale of two career paths Tuesday night, when selectmen heard from Robert Canevazzi, a veteran municipal administrator who most recently worked in a seacoast town double the size of Rockport, and Linda Sanders, who said she "accidently" landed in the public sector more than a decade ago serving as town administrator in Ashby, a community with half as many residents as Rockport.

Canevazzi is pursuing his master's degree in public administration from Suffolk University in Boston. He most recently served as town administrator in the Cape Cod town of Dennis. He left the position in March 2008 to pursue municipal government work on the West Coast but opted to return to Massachusetts after things didn't work out as he planned.

He called Rockport a beautiful community and was attracted to the position because of its location in a tourist destination town.

Canevazzi said he maintains an open-door policy with the community.

"I always give the guidance and help (employees, committee members and residents) are seeking," Canevazzi said while discussing his leadership style. "I'm a resource for them."

Canevazzi, 54, said he was a "very strong town administrator" when he was in Dennis, adding the position there "bordered on being a town manager."

As she did in the first finalist interview with Orlando Pacheco, Selectman Sarah Wilkinson noted that some Rockporters believed former Administrator Michael Racicot was mismanaged by selectmen; she asked Canevazzi how a town administrator could be managed without selectmen giving the perception they were shifting power to the administrator.

"The Board of Selectmen was always involved in terms of knowing what I was doing," Canevazzi said. "I'm responsible for carrying out the Board of Selectmen's goals, objectives, policies and regulations; I take my role from the selectmen. The last thing I need is to usurp authority."

Like Pacheco, Canevazzi indicated he actively sought and applied for grants while working as administrator. The Plymouth resident also indicated that he tried "to save a dollar before spending a dollar" in Dennis regarding the town's use of its legal counsel. He encouraged employees to research state laws or talk with officials from state agencies that may be involved with an issue before they requested him to call counsel Kopelman and Page; Pacheco last week took it a step further, saying he often encouraged staff to inquire with legal counsel on staff with state agencies.

Canevazzi is a defendant in a federal suit filed by amateur golfer Elaine Joyce in February 2008 after a public golf course in Dennis refused to let her play with her father in a May 2007 tournament because of her gender. The story drew national attention.

Asked by Selectman Charles Clark if he would've done anything differently regarding the situation armed with what he knows now, Canevazzi said it was never within his job description to "unilaterally change the (golf tournament) rules" but, in hindsight, making a decision that would've angered a lot of golfers would've been a "less severe" outcome for the town than the lawsuit, he said.

Sanders, meanwhile, told selectmen she moved to the public sector after decades as a manager at Digital Equipment Corp. when she received a request by the outgoing Ashby town administrator to take over the position on a temporary basis upon his departure two days later.

When asked what she'd bring to the position that the other finalists wouldn't, Sanders said she had "more managerial experience in the private sector than public administration students ever get."

She said she consistently demonstrates integrity and encourages staff to take as much responsibility as they can handle.

"I really enjoy helping people; I have a sympathetic ear but maintain distance and objectivity," she said. "I value honesty and respect in the workplace."

Asked to share some of her ideas on how to generate revenues and save money, Sanders said state law prohibits many creative solutions to revenue challenges that are applied in the private sector.

"I do not like burdening the taxpayers," Sanders added. "I watch for grants or other enterprises that can be used to generate revenues.

"I also look at regionalization and collaboration with other communities," she continued. "Voters like it the least and probably never would vote for it, but I consider it my due diligence to see if it's possible to save money through one of those paths."

Sanders said Ashby has such a small budget, it doesn't really have the staff needed to undertake the town's day-to-day business.

"I did everything from building maintenance to filling in as town accountant," she said. "I did full-time work on a part-time salary ... I'm ready to be done with that."

Selectmen noted several letters of recommendation, some praising Sanders for her role in ensuring handicapped accessibility to Ashby's public library. An expansion of the library was needed to allow it to be made accessible, but a faction of the town didn't want to spend any money on it and several neighbors said they didn't want a larger building encroaching on their backyards.

Sanders worked to secure an $800,000 Community Development Block Grant and community support for the project, which was completed. Library use has increased 20 times from pre-expansion, Sanders said.

The Winchendon resident is known for being a uniter on everything from budget talks to contract negotiations and a leader always focused on results.

When she arrived in Ashby in 1997, there was only one computer shared by several departments and no money in the budget for technology.

"I worked to transition them from paper to a well-organized electronic system," she said. "They all have computers now and we have a Web site and GIS mapping."

Sanders said she is looking for new challenges in a bigger community where residents care about their town and are active participants in local government.

Selectmen hope to choose a town administrator next Tuesday, and have a contract in place before Thanksgiving.

Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at 978-283-7000 x 3451 or jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.