Selectmen are seeking volunteers to help them find a replacement for retiring Fire Chief Joe Mauro.
Last night the board voted to create a 5-person screening committee. Three of the spots are for residents. Another seat is reserved for a public safety official in a neighboring Town. Police Chief Ken Paulhus will also sit on the committee.
Mauro is set to retire in early March. At their September 5th, Town Administrator Mark Purple indicated he would like the vote to consider finalists in February. He also indicated he would ask for help from a consultant to “shepherd” the process. Based on the committee’s now posted charge, that plan was approved by selectmen last night.
The committee will be expected to:
- Work with the consultant, recommended by the Town Administrator and contracted by the Board of Selectmen, to advertise the Fire Chief position, and prepare recruitment materials;
- Review applications, and determine pool of applicants for interviews;
- Conduct first and second round of interviews to determine semi-finalists. Number of semi-finalists to be limited to a maximum of five (5) to participate in the assessment center;
- Provide a final report to the Board of Selectmen on the committee actions and names of the semi-finalists forwarded for assessment center.
The deadline for completion is February 1st. Members will be “discharged upon selection of the semi-finalist candidates”.
If you’re interested, apply this month. No deadline is given for applications. But, the board plans to appoint members in October. Upcoming meeting dates are currently advertised for October 2nd and 16th. I would expect, if they have enough qualified applicants in time, they may vote at that first meeting.
To apply, complete and submit the Citizen Activity Form. General application procedure is to also submit a resume. If you have questions, you can contact the Selectmen’s Office at 508-485-0710 ext. 3004, or email selectmenoffice@southboroughma.com.
As long as I’m on this topic – Southborough Wicked Local interviewed our outgoing chief about his career in Southborough. As he points out, it’s the end of an era:
“The Mauro legacy ends with me on the Southborough Fire Department,” he said.
After about five months with an interim chief, selectmen hired Mauro in 2012. He took the reins from his older brother, John Mauro Jr., who retired from the post in September 2011 after 38 years with the department.
The brothers’ father, John Mauro Sr., served as a call firefighter and call lieutenant with the department for 50 years before retiring in 2010.
“It was in the bloodline and something I was always interested in,” Mauro said. “I like firefighting and helping people. It seemed like a natural progression for me.”
The three being in the same department created a lot of fun memories when Mauro started 37 years ago.
“We’d always race each other to get out the door first if there was a fire,” he said.
You can read more here.
