Lombardi Gets High Marks -- And A New Set Of Goals For The Upcoming Year

BREWSTER – In reviews riddled with superlatives, the select board gave high marks to Town Manager Peter Lombardi as part of his annual performance evaluation last week. The board also winnowed down a list of goals for the town’s chief executive to focus on in the next fiscal year.

 Hired as the town’s chief executive in 2019, Lombardi is evaluated in a public process each year, with select board members rating him on a five-point scale in eight categories of performance. This year, he received a composite score of 4.89, having earned perfect fives in five of the eight categories.

 “We have an absolutely remarkable town manager, and it’s a pleasure to go through this evaluation process,” select board member Mary Chaffee said last week. “I really had to dig deep to find some more superlatives.”

 In the area of board support and relations, Lombardi received top marks for helping boards make well-informed decisions. “Peter is highly skilled at distilling large and complex amounts of information into formats that are easy to understand and highlight the salient pieces,” his review reads. 

He also received a score of five for financial management. “Peter is very competent at hearing feedback from residents and understanding how complicated municipal finance is, and then finding ways to promulgate information and create tools that address resident concerns,” the review reads. “As the cost of living continues to rise and impact our residents, Peter understands the value in communicating both how we allocate funds and how that money provides critical supports and services to residents.” The evaluation praised Lombardi’s financial expertise, noting that he is “laser-focused on controlling town expenditures” and finding ways to lessen the pressure on taxpayers.

Lombardi received a 4.8 score in community leadership and public relations. “He is committed to providing as many and as varied opportunities as needed for residents to access, engage with, and understand all the things the town is working on,” the review reads. His communication skills have been particularly beneficial during the planning for the former Sea Camps properties and the Millstone Road improvement project, the select board noted.

 His lowest score, a 4.6, came in the area of town operations and infrastructure, though “there’s very little that happens in town that Peter doesn’t know about,” the reviewer wrote. “He and our whole staff team are very proactive in highlighting upcoming needs, especially ones that are going to have big price tags, so the public has time to give input and understand what our choices and responsibilities are,” the review reads. At least one reviewer observed that the town could do a better job leveraging social media to keep the public informed and to counter “bad information” when it arises.

 Lombardi scored a five in the area of leadership, with board members commenting on his high level of integrity. “The issues he navigates are complicated, delicate, wide-ranging and collaborative, and he consistently handles them with good judgment, sensitivity, and in an ethical manner,” they wrote.

 Giving him an aggregate 4.75 points for personnel management, the reviewers noted that they have spoken with department heads, and “across departments, staff feel understood and supported, even as everyone is managing many responsibilities.” Recent staff vacancies have been a challenge, and they praised Lombardi for “his ability to think creatively and play to the strengths of our existing staff to keep operations running smoothly,” a skill that will remain important “in a challenging job and housing market.” The reviewers observed that “staff morale appears to be excellent, however, staff retention has become an issue and may need attention.”

 The town manager earned perfect scores in the final two evaluation areas: personal and professional skills and strategic planning. His review called him a “super-hero problem solver who manages a complex, challenging workload with [a] professional demeanor.” Planning is his greatest strength, the board opined. “For every meeting and decision, Peter has an eye on how we’re working towards the goals that have been set: if we’re not making progress, I think Peter is clear-eyed in identifying why and how to pivot or rectify it in the future.”

 In sum, “Peter Lombardi continues to function quite likely as the most effective and professionally competent town manager in Massachusetts,” the review reads. 

 “I can’t thank the board enough for your feedback and for your support,” Lombardi said. He praised town staff and volunteers for their great work, and said he is personally committed to improvement. “I expect and hope to be a better manager next year,” Lombardi said.

 The board is also charged with identifying up to five goals for the town manager in the upcoming year, and they identified four. In the area of governance, Lombardi is charged with continuing work with the Nauset Regional School District to develop a financial forecast for the region and the town’s two elementary schools, with the goal of keeping taxpayers informed in case Proposition 2½ overrides are needed to fund the schools. Under water resources, the town manager was tasked with continuing work on the town’s integrated water resources management plan. In the category of community infrastructure, Lombardi was charged with overseeing the completion of the Millstone Road improvement project on time and within budget. As a final goal, he was asked to finalize the first development phase for the Sea Camps properties, bringing a request for funding to town meeting for consideration.

 A potential fifth goal, supporting the creation of housing initiatives, was omitted from the list over concerns that the work is broadly shared by various committees and staff members.

 “I don’t want to have a goal where I'm taking credit for other people’s work,” Lombardi said.