Buzz Stapczynski, Andover's town manager since 1990, will be leading the town through 2015.
The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Monday night, Feb. 8, to reappoint Stapczynski to an unprecedented fifth term.
Stapczynski, 62, is working under a five-year contract that expires June 4 and is paid a base salary of $131,497. This winter, as selectmen begin to draft Stapczynski's new contract, the board will discus his compensation as well, said Vispoli. In 2008, 30 Andover employees made more than Stapczynski.
The town manager's salary is typically set year-to-year, said Vispoli. Stapczynski's new contract will begin June 5, 2010.
"As the newest member of the board, I thought really long and hard about this decision," said Selectman Jerry Stabile Jr. "We don't need change for change's sake. He's demonstrated success in the role over the years. I know there are people out there that may disagree with that, but I don't think they're in the majority."
Selectmen lauded Stapczynski for his budgeting skills, hiring quality employees and building consensus among staff.
"The town manager's job is for the entire town, for education, jobs, families and retirees. Reappointing Buzz will serve the entire town well," said Selectman Alex Vispoli. "There's always room for improvement, and it's incumbent on this board to help him ... We need a strategic plan, long-term, not just putting out fires."
By town charter, Andover's town manager must live in town and serve in five-year terms. Stapczynski and his wife, Sandy, have two sons in college and live on Phaeton Circle.
"Selecting the right people for the right positions has positioned us well as a community. He creates budgets that works well for our community, and through each and every year, town departments are a unified voice," said Selectman Brian Major.
After Monday night's vote was taken, selectmen lead the room in a standing ovation, applauding Stapczynski. Smiling, Stapczynski rounded the table, shaking each board member's hand.
Stapczynski said he was grateful the selectmen of 1990 "had confidence in a young man."
"They were looking for a consensus builder, to move the team ahead," he said. "I was happy to fit that vision."
He said that while "opinions fly behind closed doors" he knows his department members are team players.
"I have a challenge, and an opportunity to continue the legacy that has been left to us. I am ready, willing and able to roll up my sleeves," he said. "The folks that work for me and for you are energized to move ahead."
Through the next five years, Stapczynski will oversee significant changes in leadership many town departments. Hiring replacements for Town Clerk Randy Hanson and Superintendent Claudia Bach is ongoing; Jack Petkus, director of public works; and John Pollano, superintendent of the water treatment plant also plan to retire within the next year.
Important projects on the horizon include building of a new interchange off Interstate 93 into Ballardvale that will open up 700 acres to development, replacing Bancroft Elementary School, creating ballfields on town-owned property on Blanchard Street, building a new fire station in Ballardvale, relocating the town yard and closing the Ledge Road landfill.
