CANAAN — The Selectboard is considering two candidates for the town administrator position after completing a second round of interviews.

The position has been vacant since the sudden departure of Ned Connell last May after less than a year on the job.

The board interviewed three applicants in the fall, but dismissed each of them as not being a good fit for the position.

Connell began his tenure in October 2022. He replaced Mike Samson, who retired after serving as Canaan’s town administrator since 2010.

Connell then resigned in May of last year to take a position as a transportation planner with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission.

The Selectboard has retained Plymouth, N.H.-based Municipal Resources, Inc., or MRI, to facilitate the search. Jack Woznak, of MRI, is serving as Canaan’s interim town administrator, working two days a week in the town offices.

Freese noted that in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, there are nearly 50 town administrator and town manager positions open, “so the pool is tight and there are not a lot of fish in it.”