Former Winchester Town Manager Appointed to Brookline Position

(Updated 2 p.m.)

Brookline selectmen have offered the job of town administrator to Melvin Kleckner, a longtime municipal leader who was dismissed from a similar job in Winchester less than two months ago.

Kleckner was among four finalists called to interview before a public meeting of the Board of Selectmen last month and received a conditional offer of employment by a unanimous vote of the board at a meeting Tuesday night.

"I'm glad for him," said Jim Johnson, chair of the Winchester Board of Selectmen. "I hope he does well. That's really nice. Things didn't quite fit well for him here, but I'm happy for him."

Kleckner has spent nearly 30 years in top municipal positions in several Massachussets communities, serving as the town administrator or manger in Wilbraham, Belmont and Winchester, and the assistant town manager in Arlington. He holds degrees from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

"Let me be succinct: Winchester's loss is Brookline's gain," said Brookline Selectmen Dick Benka in indicating his support for the hiring of Kleckner.

When asked about Kleckner's new position, Winchester Selectman Roger Berman  had no comment.

Kleckner left his job in Winchester with little public explanation earlier this year.

According to Johnson, Kleckner and the Board of Selectmen had differing views of the role of Town Manager, and decided it was time for both parties to move on.

In a statement, Kleckner reportedly cited "differences of opinion related to my management philosophy and style, performance, as well as conflicts over the boundaries and policies of the administration that often occur in local government between town managers and boards of selectmen."

Kleckner acknowledged his departure from Winchester at his public interview before Brookline selectmen last month, but offered few details public.

"As sometimes happens in this profession, the priorities of the Board of Selectmen and the composition of the Board had changes, and they were looking for change," he explained. "And as often happens, change happens at the top."

Since his departure from Winchester on July 1, Mary Ellen Lannon has been working as Acting Town Manager. Under Kleckner, Lannon was also Winchester's Town Clerk, a role she still currently occupies. Once a new Town Manager is appointed she will revert back to her previous position.

According to Berman, the Board of Selectmen met this week to figure out who will be on the search committee that will be looking for a new Town Manager. There will be one representative from the board and six citizens of Winchester on the committee.

Currently the board is in the process of reaching out to those six citizens and trying to gauge their interest.

On August 19, the board will meet with an outisde consultant, who they may retain, in order to aid the town in their search process. But until then, Lannon will continue in her role as Acting Town Manager.

"We're extremely fortunate to have the skill of the Town Clerk, Mary Ellen Lannon, working in the town," Berman said. "She's been great and has been doing a spectacular job."

Johnson believes, based on the last two hires, it will be approximately six months before Winchester has a new Town Manager.