NEW GLOUCESTER – After nearly a year of deliberations, selectmen voted 4-1 Monday night to name Gary Sacco permanent, part-time fire chief.

Sacco, a volunteer deputy fire chief, was named interim fire chief last fall when Chief Bruce Tupper resigned to take a similar post in Raymond.

Last year voters narrowly adopted a fire and rescue department ordinance that abolished the New Gloucester Fire Association, giving selectmen authority over the department and the power to appoint officers. The ordinance paves the way to provide future compensation to volunteers.

When the New Gloucester Fire Department was organized in 1928, a Board of Trustees of selectmen and firefighters dealt with the operation. Fire and rescue volunteers elected their officers.

But, now the town manager hires and supervises the fire chief. And selectmen will name officers for the department.

Selectmen and former Town Manager William Cooper were at odds last spring over the hiring and interview process. Cooper argued that the town manager had the sole authority to conduct interviews with some outside experts, then notify selectmen of the preferred candidate to appoint.

Cooper resigned in the fray announcing his retirement and urged selectmen to wait until a new town manager was aboard.

The town’s attorney supported Cooper’s authority to hire and interview without interference from selectmen and others.

The search was launched this fall when Rosemary Kulow was hired. She said 16 candidates applied and five candidates were interviewed. Of the five chosen, two withdrew. The finalist candidate withdrew from consideration noting he saw it as a financial step backward.

“Every now and then we reach a crossroads in life when a decision must be made to either continue down the path we’ve been directed, or seize the opportunity to look outside the box for a better way to optimize a situation,” Kulow said.

“Respect for Chief Sacco is high among members of the department. They admire and appreciate his inclusive style and strong leadership and are responsive to his expectations for output,” she said.

Selectmen are studying a compensation budget for 2004-05. Sacco will get an annual stipend of $7,000. Thirteen officers would get a total stipend of $24,000. And, daytime employee firefighters would each be paid $10,920, if the budget is approved by voters in May.

New Gloucester is growing and demands on public safety services are increasing. Kulow said a full-time chief may be necessary eventually.