Selectboard Appoints O'Connor Town Accountant

Selectboard · Meeting of October 21, 2026

Hampden Selectboard appointed Julia O'Connor as town accountant, breaking a 2-2 hiring-committee deadlock. Chair John D. Flynn and members Donald L. Davenport and Erik A. Vanderleeden voted unanimously to give O'Connor a term through June 30, 2027, with outgoing accountant Elise staying on in a paid role to help train her. Vanderleeden said he had reservations about O'Connor's lack of municipal finance background but voted to approve, telling her, "I think you're qualified, but my concern is the difference between municipal finance and the corporate thing." The board also authorized a local land trust to finish driveway and trail work on North Road conservation property the town acquired in August, appointed Jared Greer Rodriguez Mitchell to the Water Commission through 2027, added Joyce Dunkley and Lisa Zeno to the Hampden 150th Anniversary Committee, and granted one-day wine permits to the Hampden Artisans for an October 24-25 show.

Voters take up a revised regional school agreement with Wilbraham at Special Town Meeting on Monday, October 26.

In the full story:

• Fire Department Building Committee Update
• Regional School Agreement and Memorandum of Understanding
• Town Accountant Appointment
• Special Town Meeting Logistics
• Water Commission Appointment
• Hampden 150th Anniversary Committee Appointments
• Artisans One-Day Liquor Permits
• Minutes Approval
• Library Clothing Donation Shed Proposal
• North Road Land Trust Driveway and Trail Work
• South Road Stone Wall Clearing
• Public Comment: Fuel Tank and Business Permitting Questions
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,401 words

Source: the Selectboard meeting of October 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.