Select Board hires Thomas Leitz as Waterbury’s next municipal manager

Sept. 20, 2022  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

Thomas Leitz (pronounced “lights”) will succeed William Shepeluk as Waterbury’s next municipal manager. Courtesy photo

With a unanimous vote on Monday, the Waterbury Select Board hired the town’s first new municipal manager in over three decades. 

Looking on via Zoom and projected on the meeting room screen was Thomas Leitz, the 44-year-old Director of Administration for the City of St. Albans for the past eight years. 

In a few weeks, Leitz will leave his current position to start as deputy municipal manager in Waterbury on Oct. 31. That will allow for two months of transition time to work alongside current Municipal Manager William Shepeluk who retires at the end of 2022. 

State law says that only one person may serve as a town manager at a time, explained Select Board Chair Mike Bard. “On January 1, Tom will take over as municipal manager,” he said,  calling Leitz “a great addition to the town staff.” 

The moment was something Leitz said he was looking forward to for some time. After reading about Shepeluk’s upcoming retirement last winter, he said began following town meetings and issues, watching recordings and even attending a recent informational meeting about the future of 51 South Main Street at the fire station.

“It gives you a sense of the culture,” he remarked. “I see a lot of respect between the manager and the board.” 

Waterbury is an attractive town, Leitz continued, with town government being one of the positives. “There’s a lot of stability financial and otherwise,” he said. 

In his current position, Leitz reports to the city manager in St. Albans, population 6,877, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Waterbury, by comparison, had a 2020 population of 5,331.

Leitz was the top choice of the Search Committee that worked for the past several months to recruit applicants to succeed Shepeluk who has held the town’s top management position since 1988. The committee consisted of members of the Select Board, the Edward Farrar Utility District, and the Library Commission. It worked with consultants from the Vermont League of Cities and Towns to advertise the position, review applications, and then conduct interviews. 

From a pool of 31 applicants, seven were chosen for online interviews in August and that group was narrowed down to three finalists who met in person with the local boards on Sept. 7. In addition, a committee of community members met in person with the finalists and added their input to the process. 

Ultimately, the Select Board hires the municipal manager who oversees operations of town and utility district functions of local government. Bard said town officials appreciated Leitz’ experience in municipal government in Vermont and prior to that in county government in New York. “We know we’ve gotten the right person. Welcome,” Bard said.

Leitz has a record of municipal government experience in Vermont and New York state. Since 2014, he has worked for the city of St. Albans as Director of Administration. Before that, he was County Manager in Franklin County, New York, and previously worked in the Albany County Department of Management and Budget. 

He said he was drawn to the position because Waterbury has a reputation for being well-managed and that he admired the “collaborative relationship between the manager, the town selectboard, and the EFUD commissioners.”

His research and the interview process confirmed that impression, Leitz said. “I am honored to be the next town manager and I hope to inspire the confidence of the community and build on Waterbury’s record of success,” he said. 

Leitz grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and he has a bachelor’s degree in mineral economics from Penn State University and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University. 

He lives in Cambridge with his wife, Courtney, who is a Cambridge Elementary School teacher and member of the town selectboard, and their two sons Henry, 9, and Ira, 7. The family lives on what was the Howard farm, a homestead in Courtney Leitz’ family for generations. 

For now, Leitz said, he doesn’t anticipate a move. “We’re embedded in Cambridge,” he said, noting that his commute to Waterbury will be similar to his travel time between home and work in St. Albans now. 

But the distance shouldn’t get in the way of his family spending downtime in Waterbury for events and weekend activities. “I will expect to be a presence in the community outside of business hours,” Leitz said. “I told my kids, you want to play frisbee golf? We can play in Waterbury.” 

The two months of upcoming transition time will be valuable, Leitz said, and he thought it was important to have She[peluk retain the manager title until he retires. “It was important given his years of service,” Leitz said. He added that he will plan to attend meetings at least for the Select Board and EFUD board in person as he gets acquainted with the position. 

The final employment contract was not yet released pending signatures, but Bard said it covers a period of two years and nine months. Leitz will start off at a salary equivalent to $110,000 annually with that increasing to $115,000 on Jan. 1, Bard said.