Ware Select Board Rates Town Manager 2.63, Warns of $3 Million Deficit Ahead

Select Board · Meeting of May 19, 2026

Ware Select Board gave Town Manager Stuart Beckley a 2.63 out of 5 on his first formal performance evaluation in several years and disclosed a $671,000 current-year budget gap. The four-member evaluation, organized by board member Ken and tabulated by HR Director Amy, rated Beckley between "meets expectations" and "needs improvement" across 10 competency categories; board member John Desmond called for Beckley to take stronger advisory stances with the board, saying "I'm giving you my professional opinion on what direction the board should be going in." A five-year financial model presented by Beckley projects a $3 million structural deficit by year five if nothing changes, with most neighboring communities already moving toward Proposition 2.5 overrides. The board voted unanimously to move the annual town meeting from May 11 to June 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Ware High School to allow state budget numbers to firm up before residents vote.

Beckley's contract expires June 30; renewal terms will be negotiated in executive session.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of May 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.