Wilton’s town offices were shaken this year, when almost the entirety of the office staff quit at once, leaving the town scrambling to fill positions and run the town.

In March, only weeks after Town Meeting, the entire administrative staff of the Town Hall quit at the same time, with former Town Administrator Scott Butcher walking out of a Select Board meeting, closely followed by Administrative Assistant Pam Atwood. Their resignation followed the resignation of former bookkeeper Caitlin Martin, only days before.

Butcher is the town’s first town administrator, hired after the position was created by a vote of Town Meeting in 2016.

Butcher cited lack of support from the Select Board and shifting job expectations just before abruptly rendering his resignation and walking out of the meeting. He resigned immediately after the Select Board took a vote which contradicted his recommendation for how to fill the Martin’s bookkeeping position, after she had resigned the week prior.

Atwood indicated at the time she felt unequipped to run the office alone, and in later communications with the Ledger-Transcript, said she also felt the Select Board was not supportive of the staff and undermined Butcher’s position.

Atwood and Martin also alleged clashes with the town Treasurer Bill Chalmers and Selectman Kermit Williams, specifically, in communications with the Ledger-Transcript following their resignations.

Following Butcher’s resignation, the town contracted with Municipal Resources Inc. to provide an interim town administrator and help coordinate a search for a permanent replacement. Paul Branscombe was hired as the interim administrator, and eventually hired on full time.

Filling Atwood’s position is Janice Pack, a former town administrator in Dublin, who left that position earlier this year after Dublin reduced her position from full-time, which it had been for a year, back to part-time, eliminating her benefits.

Almost every major department in Wilton has undergone a change in leadership in the past two years. Since 2017, the town has changed its police chief, fire chief, town administrator, and it’s department of public works director. Earlier this month, the town accepted the resignation of its Department of Public Works Director Jim Lavacchia, who had been on the job less than a year.

Lavacchia resigned from his position on Dec. 7 in order to take a position in his town of residence in Hudson. He was hired in the early spring of 2018.

The Select Board appointed highway employee Brian Adams to the position of Road Agent during its meeting on Dec. 17.

Adams is an internal promotion, having been with the department since 2002. However, he will not be taking on the title of director of public works. The position will be scaled back to road agent, and Adams will head the highway department, instead of the multiple departments currently under the DPW umbrella, which includes the recycling center, cemeteries and parks and recreation.

Branscombe said he will be taking on the administrative duties formerly handled by the DPW director.

Branscombe said he will undertake the coordination of bridge projects with the state, and other ongoing projects that involve state and entities, such as the repair of the reservoir dam, and Wilton’s participation in meeting new stormwater management requirements.

Branscombe said he has experience from his other roles as town administrator working with bridge engineers, and he has already been in contact with the relevant officials about Wilton’s current ongoing projects.

Adams will lead the highway department in road work, and the highway department will continue to mow and maintain cemeteries.