Orleans Taps Former Truro Manager As Finance Director

ORLEANS – The town has a new finance director.

The select board on Aug. 20 unanimously voted in support of hiring Darrin Tangeman for the role following his interview before the board. The hire was approved conditionally pending a background check and contract negotiations, the latter of which were held in executive session following last week’s public meeting.

In Tangeman, the town has hired a seasoned administrator with 10 years’ experience as a city or town manager in Colorado and Massachusetts. Most recently, he served as town manager in Truro, a position he held for four years before his resignation in April.

Tangeman served as chief administrative officer for the town of Pueblo West, Colo., from 2015 to 2018. He then spent just over two years as city manager in Woodland Park, Colo., and served as that state’s coordinator for the International City/County Management Association. Outside of municipal government, Tangeman served 11 years in both the U.S. Army Medical Service Corp. (1993 to 2004) and the U.S. Army Special Forces (2004 to 2015).

Town Manager Kim Newman told the select board that Tangeman’s interview and subsequent hiring represented the “third iteration” of the town’s search for a new finance director to replace Jennifer Mince, who had served as interim finance director and town accountant.

An interview committee fielded applications and conducted candidate interviews ahead of Tangeman’s interview last week before the select board.

“I feel though this time and with this committee, we were able to finally get to where we’ve needed to get to,” Newman said.

In his interview, Tangeman said he’s lived in Orleans for four and a half years and that he feels a “personal tie” to the community.

“That’s one of the primary things,” he said. “My kids live here, they go to school here. So that’s a big thing for me.”

Tangeman billed himself as a manager that prioritizes strong communication, both with town staff and members of the public, in helping shape the town’s financial course. He said the finance department should be prepared to answer residents’ financial questions, especially as they relate to the budget and other spending articles that might come up at the spring and fall town meetings.

“We should be predicting what questions will be asked and be prepared to answer those questions in public meetings, town meeting, whatever it might be,” he said.

Asked for his thoughts on what the finance director’s role, Tangeman again stressed communication as being of utmost importance.

“Am I communicating effectively?” he said. “Am I supporting and building trust and at the end of the day, does the department and my divisions understand the direction that we’re going in as a department? And if they are, then I’m doing my job.”

Having served as the top town official in multiple communities, Andrea Reed of the select board asked what interested him about taking the finance committee role.

“Finance underpins everything that we do,” he replied. “You can’t do anything in municipal government without finance.”

The town is in the process of reexamining its long term capital planning efforts, and Tangeman said he would make putting together a long-term capital plan one of his early priorities. 

Select Board Chair Kevin Galligan asked Tangeman to map out what he saw for his first six months on the job. He said his first priority would be bringing on a new town accountant. After that, he said, there would be plenty of discussion with finance staff and members of the town’s finance committee.

“I think what’s up front is focusing on staff,” he said. “Getting to know the staff and what their needs are and what their perspectives are in the different initiatives, projects and obligations that we have as a finance department.”

Galligan added that free cash certification should also be a priority in Tangeman’s first six months of the job.

Newman said Friday that contract negotiations are still ongoing, but that she’s hopeful that Tangeman will be ready to start with the town in mid-September.