Town Manager Maryanne Crawford started work on Monday, Aug. 24. The Block Island Times caught up with her briefly about a week later. Interview conducted and edited by Lars Trodson.
Q: Well, you’ve jumped right in with a lot of things going on, but first, what are your first impressions?
A: Through the whole interview process, the interview team, the search team, they were excellent. Great questions, great follow-up questions. The chair [of the Search Committee Margie Comings] has already reached out to me.
[During the interview process] the First Warden gave me a tour and I met the town employees. They’re very dedicated, committed, excellent, bright and they are all invested in this island. That was glaring. I told the councilors that in my interview. To have them as invested as they are is just great.
Q: What made you apply for the job?
A: I was Town Administrator in Jamestown for six years and lived in Jamestown for a number of years. I really enjoyed my time as a town administrator. That is also an island community. My husband and I and our kids vacationed here for a number of years, so it was almost