Board members said that while they thought both the finalists they interviewed were qualified, they were concerned that Robert T. Markel potentially would be torn between his duties in Williamstown and his current role as interim town administrator in Hampden.
“He has a 20-plus hour commitment there which means he’d be limited to a 20-hour commitment here,” Andrew Hogeland said. “When Hugh [Daley], [Town Manager Jason Hoch] and I talked about the job, we thought a part-time job would be OK.
“I still feel that way, but I feel differently thinking that’s all we could comfortably get. We’d have competition for the other half of his time, so if our needs go up for more hours and days, he’s less likely to be available, whereas Charlie [Blanchard] would be more available. That’s the deciding factor for me.”