Stonington - The town has hired two financial professionals with extensive municipal experience to help complete its annual audit and proposed 2015-16 budget.

James Sullivan, a Guilford CPA, will work five days a week as the interim director of finance while Linda Savitsky, an Essex consultant, will work two days a week.

The hirings will allow the town to complete the two pressing tasks, while beginning the lengthier process of finding a permanent finance director.

The town was forced into finding a new finance director after the sudden resignation of Nicole Stajduhar, who left last month, after just four weeks on the job, to return to her former position in Old Lyme. Former Finance Director Maryanna Stevens left after the first month of the current fiscal year to take a job in Waterford.

With little time to complete the audit and budget proposal, the town decided to search for interim help .

Director of Administrative Services Vincent Pacileo said there is ample money left in the current budget for the finance director salary to fund both positions.

From 2000-13, Sullivan worked on municipal audits, first with Kostin, Ruffkess and Co. in New London and then with McGladrey LLC of New Haven. He attended his first Board of Finance meeting on Wednesday night.

Savitsky, a consultant from Essex, worked 21 years for the state Office of Policy and Management in part as its director of municipal finance services. She also has served as the finance director for towns of Groton, Cheshire and Shelton.

She is the past CEO of the National Association of State Retirement Administrators. From 1997-98, she served as president of the Government Finance Officers Association of the U.S. and Canada.

j.wojtas@theday.com

Twitter: @joewojtas