WHATELY — With contract negotiations complete, the community’s newest town administrator will be returning to the Pioneer Valley in June.

Swampscott Assistant Town Administrator and Easthampton native Peter Kane will take the reins in Whately on June 17. The longtime urban planner said he is looking forward to returning to the valley and serving as the administrator for a small community, which, during his interview with the Selectboard, he said was a career goal.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity,” Kane said in a brief phone interview last week. “It will be nice to be in the Pioneer Valley again.”

While negotiations are complete, Selectboard Chair Fred Baron declined to share the exact terms of the contract as they are still ensuring the town is doing all of its due diligence to “lock this down and be sure it’s done.” He did, however, say the contract is “generally in line” with what previous Town Administrator Brian Domina had negotiated. Domina left Whately on March 4 after seven years of service to take a job in Hampden.

“I’m very happy with the way it went down,” Baron said of the town administrator search timeline, noting they were able to conduct two rounds of interviews and offer a contract in a month. “It went quickly, relatively, and we were happy with the process.”

The Selectboard conducted finalist interviews on April 25 and offered Kane a conditional contract that evening, pending a background check and contract negotiations. Negotiations were conducted in executive session and then approved in open session last week.

In the period between town administrators, Whately has called on longtime Whately employee Lynn Sibley and longtime public servant Patricia “Tricia” Vinchesi as interim co-town administrators, with both signaling they’d be happy to serve through the end of the fiscal year, June 30.

Kane will begin June 17, the day before Whately’s Annual Town Meeting, which Baron said will give the Selectboard the chance to introduce him to residents. This will also give Kane a chance to help Swampscott put on its own Annual Town Meeting on May 20.

Describing himself as an “urban planner by trade” during his finalist interview with the Selectboard, Kane has worked several stints in Swampscott dating back to 2011 in multiple positions and also held planning jobs in Utah before returning to the North Shore in 2022.

In joining Whately, Kane said he is excited for the chance to work in a small community and juggle residents’ desire to retain the town’s rural character with the need to develop the tax base.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.