DALTON 鈥 If there was anything that could bring Henry H. 鈥淭erry鈥 Williams III out of retirement, it was to help his hometown.
When former Town Manager Tom Hutcheson announced his retirement at a Dalton Select Board meeting in February, the town needed an interim and Williams said he felt compelled to raise his hand for the job.
鈥淢y relationship [to] this town is really what leads me to want to come out of retirement for a bit and help them move forward,鈥 said Williams, who formerly worked in finance.
At their meeting on June 2, the Select Board voted unanimously to appoint Williams to the interim town manager position. Two candidates for the interim position 鈥 Williams and Matthew Castriotta 鈥 were interviewed by four of the five select board members before the board made its decision.
Williams’ contract runs to Oct. 3, and the town hopes to have a permanent town manager by then.
A Dalton native, Williams will be taking on the role for the first time and will be working across the street from his childhood home, providing a full-circle moment.
Although he was initially hesitant to take the job due to being retired for seven years, Williams thought he could 鈥減rovide a bridge so that they can take the time to find the right permanent replacement.鈥
Williams started on Monday and said 鈥渟o far it鈥檚 going really well.鈥
Williams is replacing Hutcheson, who took over in May 2021. Williams was able to train with Hutcheson for nine days, and he says it was 鈥渋ndispensable.鈥
Hutcheson helped Williams learn the file structure of the town鈥檚 system and understand the flow of the work day with phone calls and addressing emails. He also took Williams to a Berkshire County Administrators meeting so he could introduce himself.
鈥淭he understanding of the dynamics of the position I thought was conveyed as well as anybody could,鈥 Williams said.
Williams spent 31 years on the town’s Finance Committee, including 28 years as chairman. He also has over 40 years of professional experience in finance.
鈥淭he whole thing with the finance committee is you get a feel for what the town is doing because you see where the money is flowing into,鈥 Williams said.
Williams is familiar with members of various boards, including his time with Tony Pagliarulo on the Finance Committee. He says his relationships with people in the community are 鈥渋nvaluable.鈥
鈥淚 think that’s one reason why the Select Board [chose me],鈥 Williams said. 鈥淭hey were comfortable with the fact that I had a history in Town Hall and in the community.鈥
The last few months have been filled with conflict in the town with issues including the Berkshire Concrete Corp. sand mine, recall elections, and a rejected police budget. Williams says he approached the position with the understanding that there were 鈥渦ndercurrents,鈥 but he had no trepidation about taking the job.
Williams is looking to help solve issues in the town and was pleased with the Finance Committee meeting on June 18 where the committee approved the police budget following a presentation by Police Chief Deanna Strout.
鈥淲e all need to row this boat in the same direction,鈥 Williams said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 make everyone love each other, but you鈥檝e got to have people work together.”
Williams plans to stay on until his contract runs out, but is 鈥渉appy to help as long as possible.鈥 He is also hoping to keep it simple during his tenure.
鈥淢y goal is to keep the town on a path that鈥檚 moving forward on any issues that are currently before us or any new issues.鈥