Select Board appoints external candidate as new Belmont Fire chief
Joanna K. TzouvelisThe Select Board voted to offer external candidate David DeStefano the Belmont fire chief position on Jan. 21, contingent upon the negotiation and execution of a contract. DeStefano is currently the shift commander/battalion chief for the North Providence Fire Department.
Three finalists were publicly interviewed on Jan. 21. The other two finalists were internal candidate Acting Chief Wayne Haley and external candidate James Peplau, battalion chief of the Waterbury, Connecticut Fire Department.
Select Board Chairman Roy Epstein, Vice Chairman Tom Caputo and member Adam Dash all agreed they thought all three finalists were exceptional candidates and it was a difficult decision to make.
"You can't go wrong with whoever we pick," said Dash.
Epstein said he would like a combination of the services of Haley and DeStefano
"They compliment each other extremely well. The best way to go about that is to have David DeStefano as the chief but to have Wayne Haley continue as Assistant Chief but to reexamine his role in certain ways to make more use of his considerable background," he said, adding he feels the town would be best served in that way and it’s his goal to make it professionally rewarding for both men.
"While I am disappointed by the Select Board’s decision, my commitment to the community and the Belmont Fire Department remains unchanged. It is my duty to graciously accept the outcome of the fire chief process and to support the new chief to the best of my ability. I have not received any further detail relative to the future of the assistant chief’s role," wrote Haley in an email to the Citizen-Herald.
The appointed screening committee held seven meetings during the months of October, November, and December 2020, and January 2021. The Select Board hired the firm of Municipal Resource Inc. (MRI) to assist the committee. The position was posted nationally at the end of September with an application deadline of Oct. 16.
Twenty-one applications were received. Eight candidates were from Massachusetts, two from Rhode Island, and one from each of the following states: Arizona, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.
In his cover letter, DeStefano wrote, "Working as Fire Chief in the town of Belmont would allow my extensive background in training and policy development to directly affect service delivery and respond to emerging conditions in an appropriate manner. Further, as a member of the fire service currently serving in the command staff of an ISO class 1 department I have the necessary insight regarding the infrastructure and documentation necessary to maintain a successful organization."
DeStefano will replace David Frizzell who retired at the end of August.