Mark Ells to Make Final Assistant Town Manager Choice Soon

Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells

BARNSTABLE – Town manager Mark Ells said that he is nearly ready to choose from a narrow pool of applicants for the Assistant Town Manager position.

Ells said that the initial applicant pool of 156 was brought down to 53, before he and his staff culled that down to 10 interview-worthy candidates.

Now that the first and second rounds of interviews is complete, the town manager, who held the assistant role before being selected for his current position earlier this year, will choose from three.

“I’m looking for somebody who is a professional manager, senior-level management experience, and they’ve got to be able to communicate well and understand complex issues,” Ells said. “They’ve got to be able to understand the various processes that we make in the public sector to make those decisions.”

After the town manager makes his choice, the decision will require ratification by town council.

Ells said that the choice should be made by the end of the calendar year or very early in 2017.