Select Board Appoints Charles Allen as East Bridgewater's Next Fire Chief
Board also votes to move annual town election to middle school due to parking concerns
EAST BRIDGEWATER - March 10 & 14 - The East Bridgewater Select Board interviews four candidates for the position of fire chief during their March 10 meeting, reconvenes March 14 to select Charles Allen.
"It's going to be very, very difficult to try to find one of these people that is a step better than the other three," says Chair David Sheedy after the interviews.
The board spends approximately 20 minutes with each candidate, asking questions about leadership style, budget experience, training philosophies, and strategies for staff retention.
All four candidates bring extensive fire service experience, with backgrounds in grant writing, emergency management, and fire-based EMS systems. The candidates also discuss their approaches to creating positive departmental cultures and improving training programs.
"We have a lot of reviewing. Everyone was taking a bunch of notes here and trying to do what's best for the town of East Bridgewater," Sheedy says.
The board reconvenes Friday, March 14, at 11 a.m. to make their final decision, where the Board unanimously chose Charles Allen of Franklin as the town's new fire chief, pending contract negotiations. Board members praised Allen's qualifications and potential to unite the department.
The board also votes to appoint former Duxbury Chief Kevin Nord as interim fire chief, with his term beginning March 15 and ending when the new chief starts.
In other business, the board votes to move the annual town election from the Junior-Senior High School to the Gordon W. Mitchell Middle School, if feasible. The decision comes after discussions about parking challenges at the high school during election day, particularly when it coincides with dance recitals that draw large crowds.
"People were very angry, people were very frustrated, and I know people that left that didn't vote, and that to me bothers me more than anything," Julius says.
Town Clerk Katie Cavanagh expresses concern about the election staff bearing the brunt of voters' frustrations over parking issues.
"We had a lot of people that were extremely angry when they came in to vote. And they were angry to the election staff," Cavanagh says. "And they are just shy of volunteers. They're not there to get yelled at."
The board discusses the potential confusion that might arise from changing the polling location but ultimately decides that ensuring voter access takes priority.
"I feel like less people will be frustrated by a move than frustrated by no parking," Julius says.
If the move is feasible, the town plans to use multiple communication methods to inform voters, including signage, social media, and possibly a reverse 911 call. The Town Clerk will check with election officials.
"If we're at the middle school, we start off, we've got at least three signs," Seelig says. "We can do the reverse 911. There are a number of things we can do."
The board also approves a contract with IT Director Ryan McGonigle and discusses a volunteer policy that outlines responsibilities for those providing services to the town.
"It's more a listing of the responsibilities of a volunteer that, you know, like the rules of the road in terms of providing services to the town," Seelig explains. "We want volunteers, obviously, but we want to make sure that they understand what their role is."
During the Town Administrator's report, Seelig announces that East Bridgewater has received a $106,688 Green Communities Grant for energy efficiency work. This is the town's third grant in the program, bringing the total to approximately $450,000.
"That work should be done relatively soon," Seelig says. "I'm hoping before May, sometime in April, we'll start getting the work done."
The board also discusses potential state budget earmark requests, including:
* $15,000 for the Council on Aging grab-and-go meal program
* $25,000 for sound systems in town hall conference rooms
* $11,000 for digital pagers for the fire department
* $25,000 for a police department drone program
* $50,000 for continued library repairs and infrastructure improvements
The meeting concludes with announcements about open job postings for Library Director and Council on Aging Director positions, as well as a reminder about the upcoming Kiwanis pancake breakfast on March 30.
The board then enters executive session to discuss personnel matters and collective bargaining strategies.