The Select Board will present Musante's evaluation at its meeting Aug. 27.
AMHERST — It’s that time of year again – time for residents to offer their assessment of Town Manager John P. Musante's job performance.
Amherst Town Manager John P. MusanteThe Select Board is asking that comments be submitted by Aug. 1.
Town staff has also been asked to submit comments to the board by then as well, said Select Board chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe.
“We want our evaluation to be as informed as possible about all aspects of John’s management style,” O’Keeffe said. “That’s dealing with us, dealing with staff, dealing with town meeting, dealing with the public.”
Typically the board receives dozens of comments about the manager, she said.
Board members will complete their own separate evaluations using a five-page evaluation grid that asks them to assess a range of performance areas from fiscal management to staff and personnel relationships. Those are due Aug. 15.
O’Keeffe said that deadline gives members two weeks to review comments from staff and the public before compiling their own reviews.
The board will talk about theevaluation at its Aug. 20 meeting and then, O’Keeffe said, she will compile the final evaluation based on the member evaluations and present it to Musante on Aug. 27.
He became manager on Oct. 1, 2010 after former manager Laurence R. Shaffer retired.
Musante’s evaluation is also based on performance goals set by the board. An evaluation that isn’t based on performance goals is almost worthless, O'Keefe said. The board also incorporates Musante’s self-evaluation, which he presented to the board last month.
Once the evaluation is finished the board will focus on setting future goals.
In smaller towns, the Select Board runs the town. “We delegate the day-to-day running based on our polices and our philosophy,” O'Keeffe said. The evaluation is a public document outlining how the town should be managed, she said.
After last year’s stellar evaluation, the board hiked Musante’s salary effective Oct. 1, 2011 to $140,000, up from the $127,500 he earned the year before.
Comments may be emailed to selectboard@amherstma.gov, or mailed to Town Manager Evaluation, c/o Stephanie O'Keeffe, Chair, Amherst Select Board, Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave., Amherst, MA 01002.
