Cohasset Select Board Votes 4-0 to Offer Town Manager Job to Michelle Leary

COHASSET -- April 28, 2026, Cohasset Select Board unanimously selects Interim Town Manager Michelle Leary for the permanent top job. The board voted 4-0 Tuesday night to authorize search firm Municipal Resources Inc. to extend a conditional offer of employment to Leary, who has led the town for the past six months, following a 14-week nationwide search that drew 28 applicants and produced three finalists. The fourth finalist, Duxbury's sitting town manager, withdrew the morning of the meeting. Leary was chosen over Finance Director Karen Preval of Carver and Provincetown Assistant Town Manager Daniel Riviello after a round of individual interviews before the full board. Select Member Paul Grady said Leary "knows our past, present and future" and "has developed a strong relationship with the Superintendent," while Chair Ellen Maher said Leary "knows the fabric of the community." MRI will conduct an in-depth background check over the next two weeks concurrent with the board beginning contract negotiations; formal appointment follows completion of both steps.