Pepperell Select Board Votes to Hire Maynard Assistant Town Administrator

PEPPERELL — October 3, 2018 — Pepperell selectmen vote unanimously to pursue Andrew Scribner McLean as next town administrator. The Board of Selectmen voted 3-0 Wednesday night to enter negotiations with Scribner McLean, assistant town administrator in Maynard, after interviewing him alongside Denise Demkowski, Finance and Personnel Director in Groveland, and Dory Vecchio, an HR and budget official in Worcester. Chair Roland Nutter said Scribner McLean's experience in a comparably structured town, his $3.2 million MassWorks sewer grant win in Maynard, and his technology transparency initiatives made the case; member Lisa Farolito cited his direct answer on fairness and employee morale — "that is not going to be my MO" — as the deciding factor over Demkowski, who Farolito said failed to offer a concrete morale-repair plan beyond informal gestures. Member Bill Greathead called Vecchio "great" but said the city-to-small-town transition was "too premature." The formal appointment is contingent on a background check and contract negotiations, with Scribner McLean estimating he could start within a month.