Brewster Selectmen Pick Embury

Cape Cod Times

The Brewster selectmen acknowledged Tuesday that they could not clone Town Administrator Charles Sumner, who will retire in the fall after 29 years on the job, and then they voted unanimously to hire North Kingstown, Rhode Island, Town Manager Michael Embury.

Other candidates on the top of their list were Christopher Clark, the town administrator of Harwich since 2013, and Ronald San Angelo, town administrator of Hanson since 2013.

Embury became the clear leader after the selectmen reported results of their interviews with colleagues of the three finalists.

Selectman Patricia Hughes said the staff in North Kingstown said Embury had good judgment and good balance in his life. The town planner there said Embury gave him the tools to do his job and that North Kingstown was innovative in planning. 

San Angelo Interviewed In Brewster

Ken O’Brien

Ronald San Angelo interviewed yesterday for the Town Administrator position in Brewster. Last week San Angelo was offered the position of Town Manager in Southbridge.

Mr. San Angelo, the former mayor of Naugatuck, Connecticut, and a former Connecticut legislator, said he called Southbridge Town Council Chairman Shaun M. Moriarty to let him know that he would be interviewing in Brewster because the process had been months in the works. 

Hanson Selectman’s Facebook Postings Raise Questions About Town Manager Choice

Ken O’Brien

Our newly selected Town Manager, Ronald San Angelo, was hired as Town Administrator for Hanson, MA, in 2013. His three year contract is set to expire in 2016 if he is given notice that it will not be renewed by June 30 of this year. If he is not given notice that contract is automatically extended until June 30, 2017.

Mr. San Angelo has been actively seeking other Town Manager or Administrator positions in recent months. He has been in his current position for just under two years. He has at least one year remaining on his current contract. I sought to understand the reason for his seemingly aggressive job search.

Bruce R. Young is one of five selectmen in Hanson MA, and Chatrman of that body. On his FaceBook page Mr. Young posted a few comments over the last month that may shed some light on this conundrum. They are reproduced below unedited by me. The word "edited" in the text appears in the original.  (Those who wish can see the originals HERE.)

Council Selects New Town Manager

The Town Council selected Ronald San Angelo to be the next Town Manager for Southbridge by a vote of 8 to 1. Councilor Monique Manna voted for candidate Daniel Knapick.

The vote came after the Council completed a series of interviews with three finalists that also included Michael Embury in addition to Mr. Knapick.

San Angelo was state representative of Connecticut’s 131st District, which covers Oxford and parts of Naugatuck and Southbury for 10 years until 2002 when he ran unsuccessfully for Secretary of the State in Connecticut. He lost to Susan Bysiewicz. San Angelo, a Republican, then ran for mayor of Naugatuck, defeating current Mayor Bob Mezzo, a Democrat, and third-party candidate Peter Jurzynski. San Angelo then defeated Democrat Curtis Bosco in 2005.