The Chilmark select board voted unanimously Tuesday to select Dawn Barnes as the next town treasurer.

Ms. Barnes, who is currently working as the West Tisbury principal assessor and has lived on the Island for nine years, comes to Chilmark with 30 years of prior experience in municipal government, including in Longmeadow and Wilbraham. In her current role, she is part of a financial team which handles budgeting issues before referring them to the finance committee.

“One of the things I like the most about being a municipal employee is that you get to work for the best of the community,” Ms. Barnes said in the first of two interviews with the select board. “I enjoy trying to make sure that we’re doing everything we can for [residents] to make their township the best that it can be.”

Chosen from a field of three finalists after two rounds of interviews, she will take over for longtime treasurer Melanie Becker, who retires Jan. 22. Ms. Becker will spend her last month training Ms. Barnes, who said acclimating to the town’s accounting software was her main concern.

The job is technically temporary until voters take action next spring on a proposal to change the position from elected to appointed. If it is approved, the job will become permanent.

Annual salary remains to be negotiated, but will be between $85,000 and $91,000, according to town administrator Tim Carroll.

Select board members cited Ms. Barnes’s municipal experience as a factor.

“With our relatively small staff, all of whom are very busy with their jobs, and the lack of training, the issue of experience becomes a paramount concern of mine,” board member James Malkin said.

Board member Bill Rossi agreed. “I have been zeroing in on experience, and specifically municipal experience. I think all three candidates seem wonderful, they seem very capable, but I am also concerned about the experience and Dawn has specifically stuck out, for me, as having the most applicable municipal experience,” he said.

With three qualified candidates, all agreed the decision was not easy.

“It’s much easier when there’s one [person] who was absolutely better as a candidate. This was one of the harder decisions we’ve had to make in terms of selection process,” Mr. Malkin said.

Board member Warren Doty thanked all the candidates for enduring two rounds of interviews.

“I know going through this a second time, especially in the middle of the holidays . . . I hope it didn’t make you too nervous . . . but it was important to interview everybody a second time,” he said.