SANDISFIELD — Town officials say they likely will consult with a firm that provides town management services after two key Town Hall staff recently announced their departures.
Town Administrator Joanne Grybosh resigned effective Friday. Town Clerk Dolores Harasyko is retiring effective July 12, according to Select Board Chairman George Riley.
“We will be fine — there will not be ‘chaos’ in Town Hall,” Riley said in an email. “I would even suggest that having an objective outside person come in to manage and also evaluate the processes at Town Hall could be very valuable to us in the long run.”
Riley also dismissed rumors that the state would “step in” to assist the town. He said officials likely will contract with a company that provides interim and permanent management services to small towns.
The town previously had hired interim administrator Rick White who, for one year, preceded former town administrator Fred Ventresco, and helped the town hire him. Ventresco remained in the position for about two years. Grybosh, who worked for the town for 18 months, said that resigning was her decision, but she declined to comment further.
“It was my choice, and it’s time to move on,” said Grybosh, a Blandford resident who worked for years in marketing communications for companies, including General Electric.
Harasyko could not be reached for comment. The announcements follow a rancorous annual town meeting and election season sparked by a commercial marijuana company’s plans to build 100,000 square feet of greenhouses, as well as a manufacturing building.
The Select Board approved Sama Productions’ permit last month, after officials raced to complete a cannabis bylaw that would have restricted the industry. Voters did not approve the regulations, and cannabis became a key election issue among residents divided over the need for revenue in town versus protection of the bucolic landscape, and concerns about byproducts of industry such as traffic.