A consultant hired to run Danvers’s town manager search presented three finalists to the Select Board Monday and confirmed the board will interview each candidate on March 12 at the DeAndre Senior Center.

Bernie Lynch, the executive search consultant engaged by the town, told the board his firm received 31 applications after outreach to state and national municipal associations, regional public administration programs and targeted candidate outreach. Lynch said a seven-member screening committee narrowed that pool to seven candidates and then to three finalists: Jill Cahill, the chief administrative officer in Gloucester; Sean Fitzgerald, former town administrator of Swampscott; and Patrice Garvin, town administrator in Belmont. "We narrowed in after lengthy discussion and focusing on three candidates," Lynch said.

The board will hold one-hour interviews at 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on March 12, Lynch said. He said interviews will be tape-delayed — the town will not broadcast the questions live — and that the board might make a selection the same night or postpone to March 18 if necessary. Lynch provided the board with cover letters, resumes, reference-check summaries and CORI checks on the finalists and offered to speak individually with board members before or after the interviews to help develop questions or provide additional background.

Why it matters: The town manager is the chief administrative officer and the selection will determine who implements policy, oversees municipal departments and leads budgeting and contract negotiations. Lynch said the screening emphasized candidates’ communication and consensus-building skills, experience with land-use issues, collective bargaining and municipal finance.

Supporting details: Lynch described the search outreach (Massachusetts Municipal Association, International City and County Management Association, regional graduate programs and networking at the MMA annual conference) and a candidate database the firm maintains. The screening committee — appointed by the board and chaired by Maureen Bernard — interviewed seven candidates over two days and assessed candidates on interest in Danvers, leadership style, communication and ability to build consensus on often-divisive land-use topics. Lynch said the finalists also were tested on personnel management, collective bargaining, capital financing and the candidate-board relationship.

Board comments: Select Board member Maureen Bernard thanked the subcommittee and encouraged residents to submit questions to the board secretary for possible use during interviews. Lynch said he will be available to assist with contract negotiation technical questions if the board names a finalist.

What’s next: Interviews are scheduled for March 12 at the DeAndre Senior Center; the board will decide whether to select a new town manager that evening or defer to a later date. If the board names a finalist, the board will determine who leads contract negotiations; Lynch offered to provide technical assistance in that phase.