Selectmen Vote 5-0 to Pick Kersey for Administrator

Board of Selectmen · Meeting of October 27, 2026

Douglas Board of Selectmen unanimously selected David Kersey over finalist Jeff Bridges as its town administrator pick. The board voted 5-0 by roll call, with Selectman Harold Davis, who joined remotely, saying he favored Bridges but would "welcome" working with Kersey. Chair Leslie Stevens was designated 5-0 to lead contract negotiations ahead of a November 3 executive session review.

Selectmen also signed, as amended, the warrant for the November 16 special town meeting, covering $132,000 in capital equipment and a $73,892 cut to the water and sewer enterprise budget tied to a 15 percent rate hike. The board separately approved $128,850 and $82,700 in water/sewer equipment purchases and accepted a $64,000 state grant to begin a CMRPC-led zoning bylaw diagnostic. Community Development Director John Charbonneau said the town's bylaws are "in pretty solid shape compared to other communities similar to us."

In the full story:

• Town Administrator Finalist Selection
• Town Administrator Contract Negotiations
• Fall 2026 Special Town Meeting Warrant
• Highway Department Overtime Policy, Second Reading
• Water and Sewer Equipment and Capital Purchases
• Rural Development Fund Grant and Zoning Bylaw Rewrite
• Other Business
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,599 words

Source: the Board of Selectmen meeting of October 27, 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.