Montville ― Monday marked Barbara Griffin’s first day in office as the town’s new finance director.

She replaced Theresa "Terry" Hart, who retired over the summer.

Mayor Ron McDaniel said, between Hart’s last day on Aug. 5 until Monday, town treasurer Pamela Bonanno took over a large portion of the finance director duties. He noted that “it was team effort” at times and he offered a helping hand when needed.

Griffin has spent her career working in finance after graduating from the University of Connecticut with a master’s degree in business administration. Though she earned her undergraduate degree in nutrition and dietetics, Griffin said she “fell in love” with accounting and finance as a graduate student.

Most recently, Griffin held the same position for the town of Andover before the town downsized its financial department. She said she spent roughly a year and a half on “hiatus” as she looked for work in her field.

The Town Council gave Chairman Tom McNally permission to extend a job offer to Griffin with a starting pay of $110,000 at a special meeting on Oct. 6. Griffin was offered the position the next day.

She was on the job 10 days later.

“I was eager to get started and to learn the ropes,” Griffin said.

McDaniel said the finance director position is the only town employee hired by the council and not himself. He said he provided the council a list of five applicants, who were suitable for the position, to interview and choose from.

McNally said of the five applicants, four were interviewed. Of the four candidates for the job, he said two were “excellent“ and that Griffin rose to the top.

“She just did really, really well in the interview,” McNally said. “She had a lot of great answers to the questions.”

McNally recalled asking candidates how they would determine the town’s tax rate.

When others stumbled over their words and claimed that the formula was “long and complicated,” Griffin read off the formula from memory.

“She just knew her stuff real well,” McNally added.

A resident of eastern Connecticut “for many years,” Griffin said her skills are transferable from town to town.

Griffin said she “had a familiarity” with the town before she interviewed for the position. She explained that she researched the town’s size, the staff and looked at available financial statements to better understand the job.

McNally said it was noticeable in the interview that Griffin had done “her homework” on Montville and ”had some knowledge of what’s going on.”

Between her research and a positive interviewing experience, Griffin said she gained a sense that the town was in a financially “healthy position,” and that she felt like Montville was a “desirable” place for her to continue her career.

k.arnold@theday.com