TURNER-Fire Chief Steven A. Fish was reappointed, with conditions, by a unanimous vote of selectmen late Monday night, bringing to a climax a thorny personnel issue that started last June.
The conditions under which the 10-year veteran chief will serve include:
• meeting monthly with the town manager and giving a full report on the volunteer department’s and activities;
• meeting with the selectmen should the manager report any problems; and
• actively recruiting new volunteers to the department and former members who have resigned in recent years.
The vote came after a 90-minute executive session from which Fish’s wife, Lori, the chairman of the board, was excluded.
Selectman Henry Gibbert made the motion to reappoint. Lawrence House seconded the motion, with the condition on the meetings with the manager and any difficulties coming to the board.
Glenn Richardson said he favored the motion but wanted to add stipulations about recruitment.
Selectmen Ralph Caldwell joined them in the 4-0 decision.
Chief Fish said after the vote, “I’m content with it, and I believe it should be routine to meet monthly with the manager.”
Last June, Richardson made a surprise motion that the board inform Fish of its intention “not to reappoint” him to the post he had held for a decade in the department he had served for more than 30 years. The unannounced action created a storm of protest by volunteers and other residents.
Little was said about the appointment issue through the summer, but on Sept. 7, selectmen ended a marathon string of executive sessions with attorneys and Fish by voting “to postpone the decision to reappoint the chief for three months with the expectation that the chief will work with both the fire and rescue departments to work out existing problems.”
Two weeks ago, volunteers asked selectmen at their regular meeting when they would be acting on appointing a fire chief. It was agreed to put it on the agenda for Monday night, and the matter was resolved.
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