ROCKPORT — Linda Sanders has signed a contract and will be introduced to residents Tuesday night as Rockport's new town administrator.
Selectmen Chairman Sandy Jacques would not divulge the details of the contract, noting the agreement had not yet been signed by all board members, but indicated the board would likely sign off on the document at its meeting Tuesday night.
"It's not completely in place yet, but it's 99.9 percent there," Jacques said yesterday.
Upon learning the board had selected her to serve as Rockport's fourth permanent administrator, Sanders said she was simultaneously "a little stunned" and "extremely happy."
Interim Town Administrator Edgar Gadbois was charged with notifying Sanders of her selection following the board's meeting earlier this week. Gadbois and Sanders negotiated the contract over the phone the past several days in an effort to expedite the process, she said.
Sanders, the current town administrator in Ashby, was familiar with the contract's format as both communities employ Kopelman and Paige as their legal counsel. The final contract was e-mailed to Sanders Thursday morning, she signed it and "overnighted" a copy to Rockport Town Hall, where it arrived yesterday and was reportedly already signed by at least one selectmen.
Sanders, who plans to sell her Winchendon home and move to Rockport in the coming weeks, said she will sacrifice some of her 41âÑ2 weeks of vacation time to help keep Ashby running smoothly while town leaders there figure out their next move.
"I'm going to stay with Ashby while they figure out what they're going to do," she said. "I'm not walking out of there leaving anything hanging."
Though Sanders doesn't plan to start work in Rockport officially until Jan. 1 — the start date requested by Selectmen — she has asked the Selectmen's office to send her an information packet about the town, including its most recent town report and current bylaws, so she is well informed ahead of her first day in Town Hall.
"Jan. 1 is about a week sooner than I thought I'd start, but I'm anxious to be there and start work, too," Sanders said. "I want to start immediately so that I can catch up on what I need to ahead of time, because I think I'll be busy enough (in January)."
Sanders has kept up with the town by reading newspaper stories online; when asked about recent disagreements between selectmen occurring during public meetings — most notably the comments that have been made by all selectmen about Chairman Jacques' leadership style — she said she realized such situations in town government are not rare.
"I've encountered many big bumps in my experience," she said, "and hopefully I can help here."
Hired as a town administrator in 1997, Sanders was known in Ashby as a uniter who got results.
She was also known as the owner of Dylan, a golden retriever that was trained as a service dog in geriatrics and pediatrics that often visited area health-care facilities and would work with children with terminal illnesses, according to a report published in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
According to the story, Dylan would accompany Sanders to work in Town Hall, where he welcomed visitors, retrieved mail from the post office, delivered interoffice messages and assisted in the town clerk's office.
In 2000, Ashby selectmen appointed the canine Ashby's official "town hall dog," a title he held until his death in 2007. Sanders said she does have a new golden retriever, but that he is not trained for such activities and doesn't join her at the office.
Sanders hopes to arrive in Rockport well before the meeting Tuesday to allow her time to drive around town in search of a new home.
"My first choice is to be a citizen of the community I'm working in," she said.
The Selectmen's meeting starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Conference Room A and the Town Hall and will also feature the annual tax classification hearing.
Jonathan L'Ecuyer can be reached at 978-283-7000 x 3451 or jlecuyer@gloucestertimes.com.
