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03/14/2018 12:00 AMThis month the town is in the final stages of selecting both a new town fire marshal and a new zoning enforcement officer (ZEO). If both the Zoning Commission and the Board of Fire Commissioners have finalized agreements with their chosen finalists this month, the new employees could be working in Westbrook in April.
Zoning Official
Zoning Commission Chairman Tony Marino confirmed that the commission had completed its interview process and had selected a preferred candidate.
The commission received six applications for the open ZEO position and decided to interview three of the six applicants. From the three, one finalist was selected. If all of the paperwork is completed in time, this individual would likely start in early April, according to Marino.
Marino said while the terms of employment had been mutually agreed upon, not all of the paperwork had been signed, so he declined to name the finalist by press time.
The Zoning Commission conducted two unsuccessful searches in 2017 for a new ZEO to replace the former ZEO, Nancy Rudek; Rudek had resigned late in 2016.
For the first seven months of 2017, ZEO duties fell to Assistant ZEO Lisa DeMaria. Then, in August 2017, the Board of Selectmen approved an interim staffing arrangement with the Lower Connecticut River Valley River Council of Governments (River COG) to assign two River COG staff members, Torrance Downes and Dan Bourret, to step in as temporary interim ZEOs. These individuals started working two days a week in Westbrook’s Land Use office starting that month. That staff-sharing arrangement continues today and will end when the new permanent ZEO is slated to begin work.
Fire Marshal Slots Open
In September 2017, Westbrook’s Board of Fire Commissioners voted to appoint a town deputy fire marshal, John Planas, to be the new permanent town fire marshal. Planas had already been working for the Town of Westbrook as a part-time deputy fire marshal for more than a year.
In January 2018, however, Planas informed the Westbrook Board of Fire Commissioners that he had accepted a new post; he now works as fire marshal for the Town of Essex. Planas’s final day as Westbrook’s Fire Marshal was Feb. 15.
To fill the vacancy, Westbrook’s Board of Fire Commissioners reached out to former deputy fire marshal Bill Robbins. Robbins agreed to serve as the part-time interim town fire marshal for now. Every town is mandated by the State of Connecticut to have a town fire marshal in place and responsible for enforcing the life safety and fire codes. Robbins agreed to serve until the board appoints a new permanent fire marshal.
In the meantime, to assist Robbins, the Board of Fire Commissioners posted openings for deputy fire marshals. Even when a town has a fire marshal, most towns also need to appoint deputy fire marshals who can assist with inspections and/or plan reviews to assist the fire marshal in performing mandated duties.
The postings for the deputy fire marshal slots closed on Feb. 15, 2018. To date, the town has received about eight applications. Board of Fire Commissioners Chairman Bob Haggemeister said the board is looking to hire only deputies who are already qualified and certified to serve in the position.
Haggemeister said the board planned to meet and interview qualified deputy fire marshal candidates on March 15; the board may also choose to appoint one or more of the candidates as a Westbrook deputy fire marshal to assist Robbins in fulfilling his responsibilities.
After the deputies are selected, the Board of Fire Commissioners plans to post the town fire marshal vacancy.