Ahead of their 6 p.m. meeting, all five members of the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen were seated in what were once their usual chairs.
Though they were divided by sheets of plexiglass, it was the first time members of the town’s legislative body were together for a regular meeting since the pandemic began more than a year ago. Still absent from the basement meeting room in Town Hall were members of the public, who were waiting to weigh in via Zoom.
Before the cameras started rolling, the board members listened as JP Ludwig, a technical consultant working with multiple Cape towns to support virtual meetings, explained how the hybrid meeting would unfold.
The board unanimously voted Tuesday to appoint Robert Lawton Jr. to the interim post, effective Wednesday.
Lawton, who has previously worked as a town administrator in Yarmouth, comes on as Daniel Knapik prepares to leave the post on Jan. 22.
Lawton s contract stipulates that he will work two days a week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and will be paid $673.08 per day. That schedule could be modified if the need arises.
In addition to Yarmouth, Lawton has served in key administrative positions in towns across the Cape. Board chairman Mark Forest said he was excited to have him come back as the interim administrator.