The Board of Selectmen and the incoming town manager have agreed upon a three-year contract with a starting salary of $109,000.
Jennifer Tabakin, a senior project manager in New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, is expected to sign the contract this week. The former town manager, Kevin O’Donnell, earned about $101,000.
Tabakin’s contract takes effect July 1, but she is expected to start working on a part-time transitional basis immediately.
“I am really thrilled to have this opportunity. This is a wonderful position and it’s a unique town,” Tabakin said Monday in a phone interview. She praised the town’s vibrant business community, commitment to environmental protection and cultural activities.
“It’s a unique position,” she said. “It’s a town with amazing resources.”
Board of Selectmen Chairman Sean Stanton, who negotiated the contract with advice from his colleagues, said the salary is comparable to what other town managers earn.
“It is higher than the former town manager was paid, but this is our opportunity to move forward with someone who is interested in moving to Great Barrington specifically,” Stanton, said.
“She hasn’t been looking elsewhere for other jobs,” Stanton added.
The contract will include a salary increase of 4 percent to $113,360 after her first nine months and is contingent on a satisfactory or better evaluation by the Selectmen. According to the Empire Center for New….
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