Selectmen interview two town administrator candidates

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of October 20, 2026

DOUGLAS — The Douglas Board of Selectmen interviewed two finalists for town administrator Tuesday: Jeffrey Bridges, the current town administrator in Spencer, and Dave Kersey, the police chief and emergency management director in Mendon. Members questioned both on budget planning, economic development and communication style. Kersey described Mendon's new police station, funded partly through Community Preservation Act revenue, passing 700 to 100 after four prior failed attempts, saying "we didn't build a Taj Mahal." Bridges detailed Spencer's takeover of a failing nonprofit ambulance service and a $389,000 override that retained four firefighters after an earlier, broader override failed.

No hiring vote occurred; the board scheduled an executive session for October 27 to decide. Ross I. Smith moved to adjourn, seconded by Harold R. Davis, and the board approved unanimously.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Agenda Setup
• Town Administrator Candidate Interview: Jeffrey Bridges
• Town Administrator Candidate Interview: Dave Kersey
• Closing Remarks and Next Steps
• Adjournment
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,749 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of October 20, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.