The Marblehead Select Board is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to renew Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer’s contract, following an executive session to discuss his future with the town. His current three-year agreement expires June 5.
The executive session, scheduled for 7 p.m. at Abbot Hall, will not be open to the public. The board’s decision on contract renewal will determine whether Kezer continues leading Marblehead from its corner office in Abbot Hall.
The closed-door meeting comes as Kezer has expressed interest in remaining in his position beyond the current contract’s expiration date, according to Select Board Chair Erin Noonan.
Under his 2022 employment agreement, Kezer earns $195,000 annually with scheduled increases matching other town employees’ raises. His benefits include 25 vacation days, 15 sick days annually and a $5,000 yearly automobile allowance paid in two installments.
The current contract lacks formal performance review requirements, though Noonan has expressed openness to including them in future agreements. Before joining Marblehead, Kezer served as Amesbury mayor and Framingham chief operating officer.
Kezer began his tenure in June 2022, inheriting a municipal government strained by leadership gaps and outdated processes. Multiple senior finance positions were vacant, including the treasurer/tax collector role that remained unfilled until November 2022. The town lacked a permanent finance director through late 2022 and had no centralized human resources department.
Kezer’s tenure has included significant ongoing challenges. While weaning itself off it slowly, the town continues to rely on the free cash reserves to balance its budget, with projections showing potential deficits reaching $14 million by 2030 without intervention.
Negotiations with three major municipal unions dragged on for over a year before resolution in May, with tensions running high throughout the process. The town also endured a multi-day teachers’ strike in late 2024, with the union demanding substantial salary increases that Kezer warned would require a $7.5 million override. He pointedly called the strike illegal and blamed the union for disrupting schools.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations issued a three-count complaint against the town of Marblehead on Feb. 10, finding probable cause that officials violated state labor laws during contract negotiations with municipal employees.
In his recent State of the Town address, Kezer highlighted fiscal achievements including $2.3 million in investment income for fiscal year 2024 and implementing new financial management systems.
Despite these challenges, Marblehead has undertaken significant technological modernization efforts under Kezer’s leadership. The town signed a three-year, $1.02 million contract with Tyler Technologies in late 2023 to replace its outdated administrative system with cloud-based Munis software. The implementation cost $461,000 with ongoing annual maintenance of $187,000.
The town also adopted ClearGov, a budgeting and transparency platform costing $23,433 initially plus $36,400 annually. The system allows residents to view detailed budget and performance data online. The Mary Alley Municipal Building has undergone significant renovations.
Kezer has filled critical leadership positions during his tenure. Notable appointments include Aleesha Benjamin as finance director in January 2023 and Thomas Howard as the town’s first human resources director in January 2024 among others.
Most recently, the Select Board appointed Brendan Callahan as director of the new Community Development and Planning Department in February.
Noonan declined the Marblehead Current’s request for comment regarding the executive session and vote.
