Nearly 60 former elected officials, appointed committee members, business leaders, and residents submitted comments in favor of and opposing the reappointment of Andrew Flanagan when the Andover Select Board debated, and ultimately agreed to, a new five-year-contract with the Town Manager.
The emails, which were released Tuesday in response to an Andover News public records request, showed respondents supporting Flanagan’s reappointment by a rate of more than two-to-one, with 39 emails in favor of reappointment, 17 opposed, and two neutral.
“I haven’t always agreed with Andrew, but I know he is fair, and he is transparent about what he values for our town,” former school committee member Shannon Scully said. “Also, I will remind the Select Board (and community members with public record request hobbies) there are no unicorns. Hiring a good leader is difficult. Finding one with professional expertise on par with the current Town Manager’s would be difficult, at best.”
After voting to reappoint him last month, the select board reached a five-year agreement earlier this month that will pay him $262,000 annually, up from his current base salary of $235,000. The board weighed Flanagan’s performance over his nine years in the job, as well as the town manager salary in similar towns. The new contract takes effect on July 1 and runs through 2030.
Flanagan thanked respondents and said the feedback was helpful as he enters his third five-year term as Andover’s town manager. He also thanked the select board and town employees.
“My ultimate goal is to continue to advance our organization so that Andover remains a leader in the municipal sector,” he said Wednesday. “To do that, I need to focus on bringing the community together around shared priorities. The feedback I received through this process will be helpful as I chart that course.”
Several supporters cited Flanagan’s fiscal leadership, his response during the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in 2018, and his efforts to shore up the Town’s pension obligations. They also noted major projects the Town has completed under his tenure, including the construction of two new elementary schools and upgrades to the Town’s water main system.
“His in-depth reports and astute answers to questions during town meeting and his equally expert knowledge of town, state and national norms, laws, etc. speak for his excellence as town manager,” Madonna M. Kelly, a pastoral associate at St. Augustine Parish, wrote. “I sincerely hope that the few negative responses are not a determining factor in Mr. Flanagan’s position renewal. We are lucky to have him!”
Complaints in those negative responses ranged from a resident who claimed Flanagan failed to return his email to more substantive criticisms, including a lack of diversity among Flanagan’s appointees to the Town’s senior leadership team and addressing public safety concerns. Others wanted more transparency and better communication about the Town’s workings.
“It’s time for a new direction, a new set of ideals and ideas if the Town of Andover is to thrive and develop in the way its citizens want,” resident Geri Kelley wrote. From my perspective and in my opinion, feedback from residents often falls on deaf years. Decisions are made by a few, actions taken in near obscurity. There is a real need for change.”
Other critics raised concerns about Flanagan’s salary, saying it was too high when compared to the top executive in similar towns.
“Andrew should be given a pay cut if he wants to stay on board, and he should cut some administrative staff as well,” resident John Page wrote. “The pay scale is disproportionate to the level of expectation and responsibility…We are seriously overpaying him and his staff.”