The following information was submitted to the Block Island Times by First Warden Ken Lacoste on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 4:50 p.m.:
In an open session vote of 4-1, the Block Island Town Council voted this afternoon to select James A. Kern as Interim Town Manager pending completion of a background check and successful negotiation of terms of his contract.
A resident of Wakefield, R.I., Mr. Kern has been the Town Manager of Dedham, Mass., for the last five years and was Town Administrator for Swansea, Mass. for 10 years prior to that time.
He is a former Naval officer and was an instructor at the Surface Warfare Officers School in Newport early in his career. He has a BA in Business administration and a Masters Degree in Public Administration, both from the University of Rhode Island.