After interviewing three finalists for an hour each, the Select Board voted to appoint Kevin Harutunian as Marblehead’s next town administrator, pending references check and contract negotiations. Harutunian is the current town administrator in Topsfield.
“He’s the right person at the right time for Marblehead,” Select Board Chair Dan Fox said after the interviews Wednesday night. Haratunian would replace Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer, who is leaving Marblehead at the end of December.
The Select Board met in executive (private) session about Harutunian’s contract offer, which Chair Dan Fox will present to him in a few days.
Harutunian has served as Topsfield’s town administrator since December 2019, overseeing municipal operations, personnel, budgeting and procurement.
He served as chief of staff to the Beverly mayor from 2014-2019 and has private-sector experience in commercial real estate management, including positions with Cabot Properties and CBRE. Harutunian holds a bachelor’s degree from Saint Michael’s College and a master’s degree in business administration from Boston College.
During his tenure, Topsfield secured state approval of its zoning plan under the MBTA Communities Law, a requirement Marblehead also recently satisfied after years of debate.
“He’s got tremendous enthusiasm, energy,” member Moses Grader said about Harutunian. “He’s very responsive. I think he’s got strong influence traits… and he enjoys it, which is a strong marker for being happy and successful here. I think he understands the need for cultural fit, and the fact that he is a town administrator on the North Shore is something that registered with me as well.”
Harutunian presented the board with a 100-day plan highlighting his priorities if he were to come to Marblehead.
“I looked at his 100-day plan, and I thought it was something that showed initiative,” said member Erin Noonan. “I can tell he brings energy.”
Asked about his leadership style, Harutunian said, “More important than anything else, just build trust. Do what you say you’re going to do and be present.”
When talking about working with limited resources, he shared a story about … robotic lawnmowers.
“We’re one of the first communities in Massachusetts to invest in robotic lawnmowers,” Harutunian said. “They’re basically giant Roombas. They charge during the day. They roll at night. It’s allowed us to reallocate some of our resources.”
He also spoke about the importance of meeting residents “where they are, whether it’s on social media or physically going to their doorsteps or their living rooms and having coffee and discussing what’s going on, trying to find solutions.”
He shared a story about a connection with one resident that helped transform a neglected property into a downtown hangout.
“For eight months, every few weeks, I’d stop by on the way to work, drop some donuts off and build up a relationship with him. If you go through Topsfield tomorrow, if you’re interested, it’s the center of the universe for the downtown, and it’s just changed the whole dynamic. People drink coffee. We put chairs and benches out.”
After Wednesday night’s unanimous vote, the Select Board went into executive session to discuss contract negotiations for the position. The salary was listed as $200,00-$215,000.
The other two candidates were Jennifer Callahan, former town manager in Oxford, and Clancy Main, former Billerica town manager.
