Seeking to end a long period of uncertainty, selectmen interviewed the two finalists for the newly created administrator position at the Oak Bluffs Council on Aging (COA) Tuesday afternoon. Acting Director Rose Cogliano of Oak Bluffs and Michael Weston, seasonal Tisbury resident from Miami, Fla., each spent just under an hour answering questions and sharing their ideas on the future direction of the COA.
Ms. Cogliano has been the acting director of the COA since February 2014, when she stepped in for then director Roger Wey, who was placed on paid administrative leave after questions were raised about his supervision of the agency. Mr. Wey was subsequently laid off that June.
Prior to her tenure as acting director, Ms. Cogliano worked as COA assistant director for nine years, and as acting director for six months before that, according to her résumé.
Ms. Cogliano told selectmen “the numbers have gone up” at the COA since she took the helm. “I’m proud of the direction we are going,” she said. If selected, Ms. Cogliano said she would expand exercise programs, increase educational offerings, and create more intergenerational activities. She cited a writing program, supervised by Vineyard writer Holly Nadler, and a board-games program, where COA members teach second graders at the Oak Bluffs School classic board games, as successful examples of the latter two goals. Ms. Cogliano said she expected a survey of the current membership to be completed soon, and that she would incorporate the feedback in her planning. She also looks to improve the COA facility with additional painting and maintenance.
Ms. Cogliano said obtaining additional training would be a top priority for her personally. “I think it’s important whoever has the position has ongoing training,” she said. As an example of her grant-writing experience, Ms. Cogliano cited a $2,500 state grant awarded to the COA for “Matter of Balance,” a fall-prevention program.
“My vision for the center is to be the hub of Oak Bluffs, the jewel of the town,” she said.
Michael Weston has worked in elder affairs for the past 40 years at the local, state, and national level. Mr. Weston currently works as a consultant for the aging at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He also teaches graduate courses in gerontology at Rutgers University. Prior to his tenure at FEMA, Mr. Weston consulted for the United States Administration on Aging, and over his career held various positions in state and local agencies in Florida, according to his résumé.
Mr. Weston told selectmen his mother, Margo Weston, has been a Tisbury resident for 90 years, and that he’s very familiar with the Island.
Mr. Weston said that a top priority over his career has been to extend the opportunities and services that enable the elderly to maintain their independence, and that he has designed programs “around the country and around the world,” to help accomplish that goal.
“I have found time and time again, given the opportunity, seniors are more a resource than a responsibility,” he said.
Mr. Weston has extensive experience in emergency management for the elderly. He said that shortly after he was appointed chairman of disaster services for the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, putting 4 million people under his purview, Florida was struck by Hurricane Andrew, and months after that, “the storm of the century” caused even more catastrophic damage to the state. “I think that kind of experience can serve this Island well,” he said.
When Selectman Greg Coogan asked Mr. Weston for an example of his ability to be resourceful and creative, Mr. Weston said he invented a portable hospital bed when he saw the need for it. “I couldn’t believe nobody thought of it before,” he said.
Mr. Weston said that his work with FEMA has required him to live in and to serve numerous small communities. He has also has experience in island communities, from a stint in American Samoa. “Our challenge pales compared to theirs,” he said.
Mr. Weston told selectmen he is one of two Americans selected to attend the next World Council on Aging, prompting Ms. Barmakian to ask why he wanted to come to a small town like Oak Bluffs.
In addition to spending more time with his mother, Mr. Weston said, “I’m at a point in my career where I have some flexibility. It can be a seamless transition. My commitment to to assist the independence of the older population burns as bright as it did in my graduate studies.”
“Don’t you see this as going backwards?” Ms. Barmakian asked.
“I see a tremendous opportunity to make a difference,” he said.
Selectmen will announce their decision at their next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
According to the Oak Bluffs town report, the Council on Aging budget for fiscal year 2015 is $224,607. The director’s salary is listed at $61,387.
