Five Candidates to Be Interviewed for Appointments as Finance Committee Nonvoting Members 

With Bob Hegner’s election to the Town Council and Bernie Kubiak’s term expiring on June 30, two vacancies exist for nonvoting resident members of the Town Council’s Finance Committee. Matt Holloway’s three-year term expires in 2025. There is also only one year remaining in Hegner’s term. The Governance, Organization, and Legislation (GOL) committee of the Council is charged with recommending candidates to fill the open positions. Interviews will be held over Zoom on Thursday, June 13 at 6:30. 

The five candidates are Steven J. KaCey, Rizwana Khan, Bernie Kubiak, Thomas Porter, and Marylou Theilman. KaCey served in the town Finance Department from 2019-2023 and is now the administrative assessor for Conway and Whately. Khan is a teacher who stresses her ability to communicate effectively. Kubiak is a current resident member of the Finance Committee and was just recommended for appointment to the Charter Review committee. He states he is applying for the remaining year in Bob Hegner’s three-year term. Porter has 30 years’ experience in financial management of both profit and nonprofit enterprises. He grew up in Amherst and moved back to town in 2005. Theilman previously served as a resident member of the Council’s Finance Committee. She is also a past school committee member, Town Meeting member, and town Finance Committee member(prior to the town’s governmental change. 

All interviewees will be asked the same questions beginning with a different candidate for each question. GOL members are Ana Devlin Gauthier (Chair, District 5), Freke Ette (District 1), Pat DeAngelis (District 2),  Lynn Griesemer (District 2), and George Ryan (District 3). Because DeAngelis will be participating in a panel on same-sex marriage at Amherst College at the time of the interviews, deliberation and recommendations for the two candidates will most likely occur at the June 20 GOL meeting.