Dedham Town Administrator Signs Contract for Foxborough Role

It's official: Dedham Town Administrator Bill Keegan is preparing to wrap up a career of more than a decade in town. 

Keegan, who received an offer in February to serve as Foxborough's new Town Manager, accepted the offer this week, signing a three-year contract with the town's Board of Selectmen Tuesday night, The Sun Chronicle reported. Keegan confirmed the move to Dedham Patch Wednesday morning. 

"The negotiations went very well," Keegan said. "It took longer than expected; it was strictly a time limitation. There were a number of board members that were traveling over the last couple of weeks. When we finally sat down, it lasted a couple of hours at the most."

Keegan was named among three finalists for the role in January, alongside Norfolk Town Administrator Jack Hathaway and former Wayland Town Administrator Frederic Turkington. 

The Dedham Board of Selectmen will now decide who will serve in Keegan's place until a replacement is found, a matter Keegan said will most likely be discussed at this week's Board of Selectmen meeting, which is set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday. He also expects the board to iron how the details of his last day in Dedham.

"I want to make sure I can plan accordingly," he said. 

Keegan is Dedham's second Town Administrator, having taken on the role 12 years ago after Bill Griffin, who served for about six years, Keegan said. A Seekonk resident, Keegan previously served as that community's Town Administrator prior to coming to Dedham. 

"Obviously my experience in Dedham has been terrific," he said. "We've done a lot of great things together, and the community has been very supportive; the board has been very supportive." 

He added, "My transition into Foxborough is going to be initially one of just getting to know folks and understand what their vision is for the community, and then we can shape our actions for the future. I'm looking forward to a new day and a new start, and as soon as I can get the primary thing up, I think I'll try to hit the ground running."

Keegan's contract in Foxborough will be effective through June 30, 2017; he will earn a first-year salary of $172,380, according to The Sun Chronicle.