EAST LONGMEADOW — The East Longmeadow Town Council finalized its evaluation of Town Manager Tom Christensen during its July 9 meeting, expressing satisfaction with a rating of 78 out of 100.
The council first began the evaluation process at its June 25 meeting when Christensen presented his self-evaluation and each councilor highlighted positive and negatives within his job performance after his first year.
During this meeting, council members noted time management as an area of needed improvement while stating positives such as Christensen’s communication and his ability to maintain morale. A subcommittee was created consisting of Ralph Page, Connor O’Shea and Kathleen Hill to consolidate each councilors’ evaluation into one final grade from the body.
This grade of 78 was presented at the July 9 meeting, with O’Shea stating again that Christensen had “generally exceeded the performance standard overall.”
He explained that the subcommittee had both finalized Christensen’s grade and discussed his compensation, which the subcommittee had recommended that it be raised by $6,000 rather than the $5,000 minimum stated in his contract.
Page went on to recommend that Christensen’s compensation be raised by $7,000, explaining that it would help to better align his compensation in the future with others in the position. Member James Leydon echoed this sentiment, noting that Christensen’s contract would end soon and that the council should adjust his compensation “sooner rather than later.”
Christensen’s contract will expire in one year, with negotiations for new compensation to occur again in only six months, as it is required by law, Page later clarified.
Ultimately, the council voted to approve an increased compensation for Christensen at $7,000 above his current salary.
Council reorganization
As the first meeting of the new fiscal year, the council also voted on reorganization of committee during the July 9 meeting. Members unanimously voted to approve O’Shea as the new president, replacing Page as the former president.
O’Shea was reelected to his second term on the council during the June 4 election, telling Reminder Publishing at the time that he had three main goals for the term. These goals focused on assessing roadway improvement funding, increasing long range planning and addressing needs for the elementary schools.
Anna Jones was unanimously chosen as vice president to replace Marilyn Richards. She was nominated by Hill.
Additionally, the council also welcomed Leydon as a new member of the council for his first meeting. Leydon was elected to the council during the June 4 election following the exit of Matthew Boucher, who did not run for reelection.
Following the reorganization, council members thanked Page and Richards for their service as heads of the council. Member Jonathan Torcia stated that his fellow members had gone “above and beyond” in their leadership roles.
While thanking Richards for her work, Page highlighted that “what most people don’t realize is behind the scenes what happens [is] me and Marilyn three or four times a week would be on the phone for an hour or more discussing little intricacies so that they didn’t become problems or anything within town.” He thanked Richards for her time and service, stating it was “fantastic” to work with her.
Likewise, Page thanked Christensen and former Town Manager Mary McNally for their support.
