By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Select Board unanimously approved incoming Town Accountant/Finance Director David Castellarin’s contract during a Dec. 16 meeting.
Castellarin was appointed as the next town accountant/finance director in a 2-1 Select Board vote earlier this month. He will be succeeding retiring Town Accountant/Assistant Finance Director Julie McCarthy, who will be concluding her 23-year career working for the town on Jan. 31.
“As directed by the board at its last meeting, Town Administrator Rob Dolan was authorized to negotiate a proposed employment contract with Town Accountant/Finance Director David Castellarin,” said Select Board Chair Dick Dalton.
Dolan said Castellarin will be receiving a three-year contract that will run from Jan. 13, 2025 to June 30, 2028. Similar to McCarthy’s job, he said Castellarin will be serving as Lynnfield’s town accountant, finance director and IT coordinator. He also said Castellarin will be managing grants. Dolan said the contract’s provisions are “in the framework” that the Select Board gave him.
“He is very happy and we are very happy,” said Dolan.
According to Castellarin’s contract, he will begin working as the next town accountant/finance director/IT coordinator on Jan. 13. He will be earning a $175,000 salary through June 30, 2025. Castellarin will earn a $175,000 salary from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. His salary will increase to $184,230 from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. Castellarin’s salary from July 1, 2027 to June 30, 2028 will be $194,720.
“The finance director/town accountant shall receive an annual stipend in the amount of 6 percent of his then-applicable base salary for serving as the town’s IT coordinator, payable in regular increments each payroll period from Jan. 13, 2025 through June 30, 2025, and 8 percent from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2028,” the contract states. “The finance director/town accountant shall receive (a) $7,040 stipend annually for the fiscal management of the substance use prevention grants. If grant funding is not available, the $7,040 shall be added to base pay.”
Select Board Vice Chair Phil Crawford expressed his support for Castellarin’s contract.
“I want to thank Rob for taking care of that and doing it so quickly,” said Crawford. “I think Dave is going to be a tremendous asset for the town. I see within his contract that he does get a stipend for helping out with A Healthy Lynnfield’s grants, which are for the term of his contract. We do have grants from two different sources that he is going to be managing for that three-year period, so that is in place. I think this is a very well-structured contract. Thank you.”
Select Board member Alexis Leahy, who voted against appointing Castellarin to the town accountant/finance director/IT coordinator job, said she supported the pact.
“I think we are in a good place with this,” said Leahy.
Castellarin, who lives on Lincoln Avenue, began his career working as a field representative/accountant for the Massachusetts Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services’ Bureau of Accounts from June 1989 to March 1997. Castellarin worked as Winthrop’s town accountant from March 1997 to June 2000.
The incoming town accountant/finance director served as Swampscott’s assistant town administrator/town accountant from June 2000 to May 2017. While working in Swampscott, Castellarin also served as the town’s parking clerk and served as Swampscott Public Schools’ business manager for a few years.
After Castellarin decided to switch careers, he worked as the deputy director of the Somerville Retirement Board from May 2017 to January 2018. He went back into the municipal finance field by serving as Stoneham’s town accountant from January 2018 to June 2021. Castellarin has been Bedford’s finance director since June 2021.
The Select Board also unanimously voted to accept Castellarin’s resignation from the Finance Committee. The Select Board unanimously voted to appoint Castellarin to the FinCom in May.
