A hiring committee has chosen Maureen Nimmo, currently library director in Lawrence, to  become the new director of the Wareham Free Library.  The library has been without a permanent director for more than two years.

"We made a unanimous choice for Ms. Maureen Nimmo going forward, and I recommend her to the Board," said Town Administrator Mark Andrews at Tuesday's Board of Selectmen meeting.

Andrews recused himself from serving on the hiring committee because he was the budget and finance director for Lawrence before coming to Wareham. The committee reviewed applications and made recommendations to him.

Members of the hiring committee included library trustees, as well as Selectmen Brenda Eckstrom and Cara Winslow. (Eckstrom helped with preliminary interviews, and Winslow with the final ones.)

"I believe that [Nimmo] was the best choice," Winslow said, but said she was concerned about how much Nimmo's salary would be.

"I feel kind of strongly about some of the salaries that are being given out to some of our new employees, when the remainder of our employees haven't received a raise in going on four years now," Winslow said.

Andrews said that he will offer Nimmo between $65,000 and $69,000 per year. He will determine the salary and present it to the Selectmen, who will vote on it. The job posting did not list a salary for the position, only that it was commensurate with experience.

The library's last permanent director, the late Mary Jane Pillsbury, served the library for 35 years, stepping down in April 2008 due to health issues. She was at the maximum pay grade and made $76,081 per year.

Then-assistant-director Susan Pizzolato was named acting director; her salary was $61,483. She took a position with the Mattapoisett Free Public Library in June 2009.

Council on Aging Director Marcia Griswold took over as acting director of the library following Pizzolato's departure, and currently performs the duties of both jobs.

Andrews did not indicate when Nimmo, if she accepts the job, would begin. Nimmo would be the fourth key town employee plucked from the Merrimack Valley in recent months. Director of Inspectional Services Myles Burke, who worked for the City of Lawrence, was hired in April. Andrews was hired in December, and Interim Police Chief Richard Stanley, who serves as Chief of Police in North Andover, was brought on last August.