Darien Hires New Town Administrator
DARIEN, CT — The Board of Selectmen on Monday night unanimously voted to appoint current Darien Finance Director Jennifer Charneski to the role of town administrator.
Charneski fills the vacancy left by Kathleen Buch, who left town in September to become the town administrator and chief operating officer in Greenwich.
Darien First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said the town launched a “thorough” search process led by a professional search firm to find Buch’s replacement.
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“It gave us a chance to really see what talent was out there from different parts of the country,” Zagrodzky said Monday night during the selectmen’s regularly scheduled meeting. “Quite a number of people applied. They had a tremendous amount of expertise and background, and I think in the end we had nearly 20 applicants for the role and considered closely four or five of them as part of our process.”
Charneski stood out from the rest of the field, Zagrodzky said.
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“Despite all the expertise and horsepower we had a chance to see, we came to a unanimous conclusion as a board of selectmen that the absolute best candidate for that job is our current director of finance and now new town administrator, Jennifer Charneski,” Zagrodzky said. “I’m beyond excited to have you in this capacity.”
Charneski came to Darien in 2015 from New Canaan, where she served as budget director and comptroller. She previously worked in finance for the town of Hamden.
According to the town of Darien website, the town administrator provides staff assistance to the board of selectmen and the first selectman, makes policy recommendations, acts as an advisor and informational resource, carries out board directives and policies, and coordinates the efforts of town departments.
Administrative areas of responsibility include budget development, performance measurement and evaluation, grant administration, program review, insurance administration and purchasing.
The selectmen on Monday welcomed Charneski to her new role and expressed excitement to work with her in the future.
“It’s been a great pleasure and privilege to serve with you these last couple of years,” Selectman Michael Burke said. “I really look forward to seeing you achieve and grow in your new role. We have every confidence in you.”
Charneski briefly thanked the board following her appointment.
Monday’s Board of Selectmen meeting was held virtually and is available to watch on demand on Darien TV79.
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