Dedham Administrator Selected for Foxborough Town Manager Role

After more than a decade of serving as Dedham's Town Administrator, things look to be winding down for Bill Keegan. 

On Tuesday, Keegan received an offer to be Foxborough's new Town Manager, he confirmed Wednesday. 

"I'm very fortunate and grateful for the opportunity to be at this stage," Keegan said Wednesday. "It's a great opportunity." 

The Foxborough Board of Selectmen named Keegan among three finalists for the role two weeks ago, with Norfolk Town Administrator Jack Hathaway and former Wayland town administrator Frederic Turkington listed as other finalists for the position.

Foxborough Selectmen James Devillis named Hathaway as his first choice, but joined the majority vote to give Keegan a unanimous welcome, according to the Sun Chronicle. 

Foxborough Board of Selectmen Chair Mark Sullivan, along with selectmen John Gray and Town Labor Counsel Leo Peloquin, will negotiate an employment contract with Keegan, who is available to start in Foxborough on April 1, before he makes a final decision to accept the offer, according to The Sun Chronicle. 

"I have mixed emotions about it," he said. "I've had great relationships with the people of Dedham and the boards I've worked with over the years. It's a good group, so I go with mixed emotions but it's an opportunity for me to look at as a new challenge."

Keegan, a Seekonk resident, previously served as the Seekonk Town Adminstrator prior to coming to Dedham, and said the shorter commute would also weigh into his final decision.  

Brendan Keogh, who is running for the Dedham Board of Selectman this year, commented on the matter on his Facebook page Tuesday. 

"With so many important matters to address in the near future as well as the long term, we must be steadfast in our approach to hiring a new Town Administrator," Keogh wrote. "Our Board of Selectmen should be careful to lay out a process that is open to the input of all the stakeholders in our community. Taxpayers, town workers, department heads, elected and appointed officials, seniors, educators, town meeting members, veterans and our business community must have a seat at the table to define this process."