KINGSTON — August 12, 2026 — In a swift mid-summer meeting, the Kingston Board of Selectmen granted Police Chief Holmes authorization to hire interim per-diem clinicians to prevent service gaps following a department resignation, while Town Administrator Scott Lambiase reported the return of veteran official Matt Darsch as interim water superintendent to steady the town’s water department amid town-wide water restrictions.
The Full Story
Convening via Zoom for under twenty minutes, the Kingston Board of Selectmen addressed critical departmental vacancies, approved key community licenses, and reviewed municipal service challenges spanning water infrastructure to cable franchise negotiations.
Police Chief Brian Holmes came before the board seeking immediate measures to maintain behavioral health support within law enforcement operations. Following the recent resignation of a staff clinician, Holmes sought approval to advertise and fill the full-time role—fully funded through the Department of Mental Health (DMH) Jail Diversion Program (JDP) grant—and requested flexibility to hire temporary per-diem clinicians so co-response capabilities do not lapse while recruitment proceeds.
Selectman Carl Pike initially voiced reservations about open-ended hiring discretion, prompting the board to refine the authorization so per-diem clinicians may only be appointed whenever staffing falls below two full-time clinicians.
“It’s our intention to stop using the per diems when we fill the full-time vacancy because the money is simply not there. So if we were to add anybody, we’d have to come back to the board anyway.” — Chief Brian Holmes (00:06:31)]
