COA Board Votes 4-3 to Hire Richard Ross

Council on Aging · Meeting of October 21, 2026

GROVELAND — The Groveland Council on Aging Board voted 4-3 to hire Richard Ross as the town's new director, ending a nearly two-month search. Vice Chair Barbara Sanborn, who chaired the seven-member search committee, said the group held seven meetings between September 3 and October 8, screening 23 applicants down to three finalists before one withdrew. The board interviewed finalists Richard Ross, a former Project Adventure and Senior Care executive, and Tracy Kane, a longtime Our Neighbor's Table program leader, on October 21.

Kane told the board "I just can't even believe that we're charging our elder population on fixed income lifetime penalties," while Ross said he "can make the decisions that need to be made and articulate those." The board's secret ballot split 4-3 for Ross, followed by a formal 6-0 appointment vote with one abstention.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Routine Business
• Assistant Director's Report
• Subcommittee Updates and Open Meeting Law Compliance
• Community Programs: Seen and Heard, Friends of COA
• Community Preservation Committee Mall Proposal
• Food Pantry Space Discussion
• Search Committee Process Overview
• Finalist Interview: Tracy Kane
• Finalist Interview: Richard Ross
• Deliberation and Vote
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,285 words

Source: the Council on Aging meeting of October 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.