STONINGTON – Selectmen have narrowed the field of candidates for the town manager position and will meet next week for a second round of interviews.

There was strong interest in the position and the town received 20 applications for the job.

“The selectmen were pleased with the quality and quantity of the applications,” town Manager Richard Avery said Wednesday. “They’ve narrowed it down to three or four candidates.”

Selectmen will conduct the interviews during their regularly scheduled meeting on Monday. They plan to name a new town manager by the end of the month. Avery, who submitted his resignation earlier this year, plans to leave the job at the end of December, having served as town manager for about seven years.