Bellingham Select Board Rejects Sole Town Administrator Candidate in 3-2 Vote

BELLINGHAM — December 9, 2024 — Bellingham Select Board fails to appoint a Town Administrator in a 3-2 vote. The December 9 meeting had a single item on its agenda: whether to appoint John Codair, the last remaining finalist after three other candidates withdrew during the search process. Board member Don Martinez nominated Codair, citing 14 years in Northborough, six years in Chelsea, and graduate-level budgeting instruction at Suffolk University, and called Bellingham an "$80 million business" likely to become a "$100 million" operation within years. Member Jen Zashin seconded and spoke in support, but Chair Thaddeus Sahan and two other members voted no, sinking the motion. The board then unanimously directed outgoing Town Administrator Dennis Meehan, whose departure is expected around January 1, to present a transition plan at the December 16 meeting.