Over the next several weeks, the Middlebury selectboard will make one of the most important decisions of its tenure: hiring a new town manager. With Town Manager Kathleen Ramsey announcing she would be taking another job this September, after a dozen years at the helm, the town has a unique opportunity.

As with any vacancy at the top of an operation, the first question to ask is whether the job description remains relevant and meets the needs of our times, and certainly times have changed.

Before the board reads its first résumé, it must look into its crystal ball to speculate which priorities are most pressing for the next decade or more. Is affordable housing the town’s greatest need, more high-paying jobs and a larger labor force? How will the town handle its houseless community, as well as prevent crime downtown? Is the town using its industrial park lands to their highest use, or might at least some of that land be leveraged to attract builders of higher density housing?

At their base, all questions arise from this single query: Is Middlebury near its highest potential, or are there numerous ways it could be improved? If it’s the latter, set out a 10-year plan and hire someone who can juggle all the routine tasks of being the town administrator, as well as take the lead on those top priorities.

Middlebury-area residents can add to the conversation by penning a letter-to-the-editor with their own list of priorities Middlebury might undertake. If the town is lackluster, how can it be more vivacious? If it lacks primary services, what are they and are there viable solutions? If we know we need more workers to fill the 300-plus jobs currently open in a handful of our major institutions, plus many others in area businesses, how can we get there sooner, not later?

It’s summer. Grab a glass of tea this weekend, add a few ice cubes, set aside 30 minutes and send us your thoughts via email to [email protected]. The selectboard will appreciate it, so will I, and at the very least it beats talking about the weather.

— Angelo Lynn