TOWN OF BRATTLEBORO
Town Manager’s Office 230 Main Street Brattleboro, VT 05301
(802) 251–8151 FAX (802) 257–2322
PRESS RELEASE
TO: Local Media Date: October 12, 2021
From: Town Manager’s Office
*************************************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :
Media Contacts:
Elizabeth McLoughlin, Selectboard Chair
(802) 254–9370
Ellis Hankins
Mercer Group Associates, Raleigh, NC
Cell: 919–349–8988
Yoshi Manale Selected as Brattleboro Town Manager
Brattleboro, VT—The Brattleboro Selectboard has chosen Octavian Y. (Yoshi) Manale as the
new Town Manager. Mr. Manale will assume his new responsibilities on January 1, 2022, after
working on transition matters with the retiring Town Manager, Peter Elwell.
“On behalf of the Brattleboro Selectboard, I congratulate Yoshi Manale on being selected as our new Town Manager” said Elizabeth McLoughlin, Selectboard Chair. “We considered many well qualified candidates during our nationwide search. The Selectboard conducted this process with care and diligence, and we are very pleased with the result. We are confident that Yoshi Manale has an enthusiasm for good governance and for Brattleboro that will lead us to a future that we can all embrace. We look forward to working with Yoshi for the benefit of the people of Brattleboro.”
“I thank the Selectboard for giving me this opportunity to serve as Brattleboro’s new Town Manager. I am excited to become an active member of the Brattleboro community. The chance to help Brattleboro in progressive cultural change and sustainable development drew me to this opportunity, and I look forward to meeting and building positive relationships with the many active community partners and individuals in this beautiful town. I congratulate Peter Elwell on his years of public service, and I appreciate the opportunity to work with Peter and learn from him in a productive transition.”
The Brattleboro Town Manager is appointed by and works under the direction of the five–
member Selectboard, elected on a nonpartisan basis. He is responsible for a General Fund budget
of $19.6, plus enterprise funds for water and sewer, and downtown parking; and 140 full–time
employees. The Town Manager also works with the 140–member Representative Town Meeting
on final approval of the Town budget, borrowing for large–scale capital projects, and other major
policy decisions.
Manale served as Deputy Mayor and Chief of Staff for the City of Trenton, New Jersey, from
2018 until earlier this year. In that role he served as the City’s chief executive officer, appointed
by and reporting to the Mayor. Previously he worked in the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services,
New York City, from 2016–2018. From 2013–2016, he served as Director of Operations and
Budget for Kean University, in Union, New Jersey. He served as Township Administrator in
Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, from 2010–2012. He worked in public policy staff positions
with the New Jersey Legislature from 2003–2010.
Manale earned a bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, and a Master of Public
Administration degree from New York University. He participated as a Fellow in the prestigious
Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative in 2019.
Manale is a native of Silver Spring, Maryland. He has spent significant time enjoying the state of
Vermont, including the Brattleboro area.
Mercer Group Associates, a national public sector executive search and consulting firm, assisted
the Selectboard with its search. The Selectboard received 94 applications from Vermont and
many other states, and considered a number of candidates with extensive local government
management experience. The Selectboard conducted initial interviews with 11 semifinalists.
Chair McLoughlin said that the Selectboard greatly appreciated the valuable input of members of
the community and Town department heads. “We used our carefully developed criteria and their
observations as guides in making our decisions,” she said.
“We thank Peter Elwell for his exceptional service as Town Manager for almost seven years. He
will leave a sound town government, as well as a legacy of kindness, mutual respect and trust
with all of Brattleboro.” said McLoughlin. “We wish Peter well in his retirement. Our new Town
Manager will find that Peter is leaving our Town well prepared to address the opportunities and
challenges ahead, with active community involvement and the assistance of our very capable
Town staff.”
Brattleboro, the economic and cultural hub of southeastern Vermont, is a town of about 12,000
people, with a diversity of businesses and a great quality of life.
###
Interesting exit
https://www.trentonian.com/2021/03/09/manale-out-as-chief-of-staff-for-trenton-mayor-reed-gusciora/
“…. Gusciora wouldn’t say who pulled the trigger on Manale’s exit, but it became increasingly apparent behind the scenes that the two high-ranking officials were on different pages.
One of the biggest points of contention between them centered on city police director Sheilah Coley.
Manale felt the police director should have taken a more public role in blunting some of the criticism Gusciora faced over record-setting bloodshed last year.
Manale wouldn’t discuss whether he took a hardline stance on whether Coley should’ve been cut loose amid backlash over the street violence.
Gusciora faced mounting criticism for sticking with Coley after the capital city tied and then eclipsed a grim benchmark with 40 homicides.
Gusciora declined to discuss the tension with Manale over Coley. There was rumors that he and Manale had a blow-out fight over it.
Gusciora would only say that he and his chief of staff often bickered like a “married couple.”
“We had many discussions, and I’ll keep those discussions to myself,” he said. “I’m gonna leave that as a personnel matter.”
Gusciora planned to have an exit interview with Manale in the coming weeks.
He called the chief of staff position a “thankless” job, as Manale often found himself caught in the middle of Gusciora and council’s acrimonious relationship that has landed them in court several times…..”