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At their their Tuesday, June 11, meeting, the Sudbury Select Board opened with an executive session to discuss Town Manager Andy Sheehan’s contract. When they returned to open session, they ratified the vote they took in executive session and approved a new contract with the Town Manager, effective July 1, 2024.
Chair Jennifer Roberts explained that the updated contract was for a new three-year term, increased compensation and other benefits, and adjusted some terms for eligibility for annual compensation reviews. (41:20) Roberts informed the public that a copy of the contract will be posted to the Town website after it is fully executed.
Sheehan has been serving as Town Manager since February of 2023. Prior to Sudbury he served as Town Administrator for the towns of Middleton and Townsend for over a decade. Prior to those posts he served for nearly two decades in a variety of local government roles spanning multiple Massachusetts cities and towns. (Page 22)
The update to the contract came across as a vote of confidence in Sheehan, who is just shy of halfway through his original contract. That contract would have expired on February 12, 2026. Sheehan has stressed the importance of succession planning to maintain continuity of services. Succession planning was elevated as a top Select Board goal last year.
In extending Sheehan’s contract, the Select Board could be looking to maintain continuity in senior positions. In the last year the Town had to fill Director-level positions in the Planning and Community Development department, as well as the Finance department. Furthermore, Sheehan is the third Town Manager in Sudbury in the last five years.
The vote in open session was 4-1, with Member Dan Carty voting against the motion. Sheehan received a glowing annual review from four of the five Select Board members. The combined average quantitative review of all members was 3.8, putting Sheehan on the cusp of “Exceeds expectations/highly effective” in the Select Board’s 5-point rating scale. (Page 163)