West Newbury Select Board Moves Toward New HR Manager, Tables River Road Grant Vote

WEST NEWBURY -- December 18, 2025, West Newbury Select Board moves toward HR manager hire and defers $427,000 River Road grant decision. Meeting with only two of three members present, Chair Wendy Gladney and member Chris Josselyn advanced a proposal to create a new human resources manager position, responding to Town Manager Angus Jennings's description of an unsustainable workload that routinely runs to 60 or more hours per week, with Jennings saying he has "worked 35 days in a row without a weekend day off." The board agreed the position would be funded in part from the vacant project manager line within the FY2026 budget and would require votes to amend the salary and wage schedule and organizational chart at a future meeting. On the River Road MVP grant, Climate Change Resiliency Committee Chair Liz Callahan urged the board not to forfeit the $427,000 state award, warning that "the town is at risk of being forced into costly reactive decisions under emergency conditions," but the board tabled the decision to January 8 so absent member Ross Savarese could participate. The board also approved renewals of two retail liquor licenses and three Class II motor vehicle dealer licenses, two of the dealer renewals contingent on receipt of complete insurance documentation, and heard contested testimony on a request by the Essex County Trail Association for equestrian access across the town hall parking lot, which Town Counsel determined would require a Town Meeting vote to authorize.