Town Manager, Finance Committee Disagree on Budget

Town meeting 7 p.m. May 14 in Norton Middle School auditorium.

Town Manager Michael Yunits is offering a few changes to the upcoming Norton town budget, proposing to reduce the Town Clerk’s raise and add to the staff of the communications department while reducing the town’s donation to the school department.  The total town budget stands at $48,309,794 using the finance committee’s most recent recommendations, Yunits told selectmen Thursday. The budget includes an unanticipated $162,000 in revenue for veteran’s reimbursements.  He said he wants to reduce the Town Clerk’s proposed 29 percent raise, as recommended by the finance committee, to one percent, a reduction of $13,067. Yunits and selectmen had discussed the fact that because the Town Clerk still remains an elected position, neither he nor the…

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AN INSIDE LOOK

Norton Needs To Change Form Of Government

Town Meeting is great, but it just no longer serves the real needs of today's Norton.

It is a strange time right now in Norton politics and town government. We are getting a lot of conflicting signals from voters these days, and while disturbing they are hardly surprising. But they need to be viewed in the proper perspective. We are coming off one of the smallest voter turnouts for a town election in recent memory. And while there was no competition for selectman, there were five contested races on the ballot. Yet barely over six percent voted, less than 800 of the more than 11,000 registered voters. That was followed by one of the worst-attended Annual Town Meetings in recent memory, with less than 100 voters stopping by to decide things like the $44 million budget.  Now Norton faces a Special Town Meeting on June 6 to …

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VIP OF THE WEEK

Norton Patch VIP of the Week: Michael Yunits

New Town Manager settles in to new job.

Michael Yunits, Norton’s new Town Manager, always envisioned being in town government. After serving as Town Administrator in Holbrook for the past five years, Yunitz has brought his talents to Norton.  “My father ingrained in us at an early age to be active in the community,” said Yunits, whose brother Jack was the mayor of Brockton for 10 years.   Yunits, who began his position in Norton a week ago, has been meeting with the various department heads to become familiar with the town.  “It’s been great meeting people here,” he said. “Everyone’s been helpful. I think it’s going to be a great fit for me.”  The Town Manager position differs from his job in Holbrook.  “I have more authority in the day to day operations of the town,” Yunits …

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New Town Manager Introduced

Yunits introduced to two issues facing town.

New Town Manager Michael Yunits won't be sitting in his office at Norton Town Hall until March, but nonetheless got a bird's-eye view Thursday of two issues that will take up much of his time when he takes the reins. Yunits was formally introduced to the public shortly after he signed what board Chairman Robert Kimball called a "boiler plate" contract in executive session, and also was introduced to the first version of the town budget for 2011/12 by outgoing manager Jim Purcell, who took the audience painstakingly through a detailed presentation. Purcell cheerfully announced afterwards he was headed home for dinner, and hinted he was heading off for a long deserved vacation. Yunits also got a first peek at the four different versions of …

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VIP OF THE WEEK

Norton Patch VIP of the Week: Beth McManus

Norton resident keeps busy with School Committee, Town Manager search and tricentennial celebration.

Beth McManus has devoted much of her 18 years living in Norton to making the town a better place to live. McManus is in her second term on the School Committee and also worked on the town manager search committee to find a replacement for Jim Purcell, who is retiring. She also is an integral part of the Norton Tricentennial Committee. McManus said that the greatest challenge the School Committee is facing is the planned renovation of the high school. The project will be brought before voters at the spring Town Meeting, which would require a debt exclusion override, something the town has never supported. She is proud of the fact that Norton students scored in the top 15 percent in the state on the MCAS exams. “The MCAS test is the test …

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AN INSIDE LOOK

New Town Manager Facing Many Challenges

Former Holbrook Adminstrator Yunits will have new responsibilities here.

Assuming he is able to reach a contract agreement with the Board of Selectmen, Holbrook Town Administrator Michael Yunits will become the fifth Town Manager in Norton history. When you consider he will likely make close to $50,000 more in salary here than in Holbrook, chances seem good he will accept the position. Yunits has been Town Administrator in Holbrook since 2005, ironically succeeding former Norton assistant to the Town Manager and Town Treasurer Philip Warren.  Warren moved on to Abington as Town Manager, where Yunits again was a candidate to replace him. Yunits was also a finalist for the Town Manager position in neighboring Mansfield last year. The man he sought to replace, former Mansfield Town Manager John D’Agostino, did …

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Board of Selectmen Nominate New Town Manager

Michael Yunits beats out other finalists.

Holbrook Town Administrator Michael Yunits has been selected as the first nomination as new Town Manager by the Norton Board of Selectman. The ruling factor was his resume and experience. Yunits has been Holbrook's town administrator since 2005. He graduated from Stonehill College, receiving a bachelor's degree in public administration. For about 20 years, he was president of Yunits Engineering Company in Holbrook, which impressed the Board. Since 2009, he also ran the town's community development office. If Yunits turns down the position, the Board of Selectmen will offer it to David J. Marciello.  The Board met today from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to interview the finalists and choose the best candidate. Other finalists were Mark Haddad of …

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Outgoing Town Manager Will Be Sorely Missed

Jim Purcell leaves Norton a better town than he found it.

Town Manager Jim Purcell officially retires this week, ending a nearly decade-long run as Norton’s top administrator. And as with everything during his successful stay here, he’s doing it his way – quietly and professionally. It is not easy to be a Town Manager. People expect you to provide more services for less money. You have to deal with a wide range of employees and town officials. You have to negotiate union contracts. And your professional life is carried out in a fishbowl, where your successes are expected and your mistakes magnified. There are many different styles utilized by town managers. Some are brash, leading in an outwardly confrontational manner. Others are behind-the-scenes kind of folks, trying to show as little as …

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Town Manager Finalists Announced

Out of 55 applications, the eight finalists come from communities near Norton.

Selectmen will put in a full day the first Saturday in February, interviewing five finalists and two alternates for the office of Town Manager. The candidate who is offered the job will fill some big shoes, replacing outgoing seven-year veteran Jim Purcell. The Town Manager screening committee presented its recommendations Thursday, and gave the board a list of candidates who had turned out on top, after 15 telephone interviews and 13 face-to-face interviews. The interviews ended on Jan. 4, and the five finalists were picked the next week. All in all, the eight-member committee received 55 applications from all over the country, said search committee chair Beth McManus. In the end, however, the finalists came from communities near Norton…

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AN INSIDE LOOK

Listing Some New Year Resolutions For Norton

A few suggested resolutions for our town.

I've given up on personal New Year resolutions. However, I still believe Norton as a community should have a few as we enter 2011. Being the brave and intrepid columnist I am, I offer to you my suggested list of Norton's New Year Resolutions: Choose a good new Town Manager, one who comes in with no political baggage, an open mind, a conservative financial disposition and a real ability to deal with all kinds of people. Try not to take sides on an issue until that issue has actually been studied and discussed. And yes, we are talking about the possible renovation of the high school here. Blindly voting either yes or no is not a smart option. Patronize local businesses first.  They are the backbone of your local economy.  Everyone needs to …

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