SOUTH HADLEY — The South Hadley Electric Light Department commissioners Thursday delayed hiring a consultant to assist in the search for a new general manager. The consultant would be paid at least $45,000.
The commissioners interviewed potential consultant Scott Fry, a member of the Colorado-based firm Mycoff, Fry & Prouse, who explained how he would help find a replacement for Wayne Doerpholz, whose contract was not renewed after it expired May 31. Doerpholz had been on paid administrative leave since October, when he was named in a federal whistleblower lawsuit against the utility alleging that he permitted a pattern of workplace bullying and retaliation.
The commissioners put off until next week a vote on whether to or not to hire Fry, which would cost the utility $45,000 or 28 percent of the salary of the person they choose to be the next general manager, whichever is higher.
Fry estimated that in addition to his base fee the board would likely spend approximately $8,000 to cover his travel expenses as well as expenses incurred to bring finalists to South Hadley for interviews.
Commission Chairwoman Anne Awad said that four firms had responded to the board’s request for proposals to help conduct the search but that Fry’s company is the only one being considered.
Fry said the number of people with the skills for the general manager’s job is limited and that a national search could yield candidates expecting an annual salary in the $140,000 to $180,000 range.
“There is a mass exodus of baby boomers retiring” from the industry, said Fry, and utilities are doing all they can to keep talented people with retention bonuses and guaranteed promotions.
Doerpholz’s annual salary was just over $143,000.
Because of the “shortage” of people who could fill such a position, a search firm can reach out to people who might not otherwise think of applying, according to Fry.
He said his firm, which has been in business since 1974, has assisted utilities all over the country in hiring executives. His services come with a guarantee that if the person SHELD hires leaves within a year, Fry would repeat the search process without charging the base fee a second time.
Board member John Hine, who also chairs the Select Board, spoke in favor of using a consultant. Hiring a new general manager will be “the most important decision this board will make” in the coming year, he said.
Spending upward of $45,000 on the process would be a “cost-effective” investment in finding a “good candidate,” Hine said.
Board member Gregory Dubreuil also voiced support for hiring a consultant, saying that the search process would be more efficient and would likely attract better candidates.
In other business, the commission voted 4-0 to formally take property the utility owns on Old Lyman Road out of consideration as the site for a new headquarters. Commissioner Kurt Schenker was absent from Thursday’s meeting.
Dubreuil suggested the board should also consider selling the land so that houses could be built on the property which would to South Hadley’s tax rolls. No no action was taken on that suggestion.
Board member Vernon Blodgett, who made the motion to drop the Old Lyman Road property as a potential, said it shows that “we are wide open to looking for different solutions in another part of town” to address concerns that the current headquarters on Main Street is no longer adequate.
Awad also spoke in favor of the motion, noting that even though the utility has spent $600,000 to date for plans and permits for the Old Lyman Road site, it would be foolish to move ahead with it for that reason alone.
Hine said he would like to postpone a decision on where the SHELD headquarters should be until a new general manager is in place who could help design it with a strategic view of the utility’s future. That would include considerations related to possible greater reliability on decentralized power production and a move into providing fiber-optic broadband communication for town residents, he said.
Eric Goldscheider can be reached at eric.goldscheider@gmail.com.