Jason Viveiros resigned as Halifax Fire Chief/Emergency Management Director and began a new position as Fire Chief in Pembroke on June 1.

“I truly appreciate the opportunity to serve this great community for the last eight years. I couldn’t be prouder of what this Department has accomplished during this time. I will forever be grateful to the men and women of the Halifax Fire Department for their support and commitment to public safety. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance during the transition process,” Viveiros’ letter of resignation read.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met with Viveiros on Wednesday, May 25 to discuss the possible appointment of an interim Fire Chief as well as the recruitment process for a new Chief. Viveiros, who had written a letter of recommendation, said he was recommending that the Board name Captain Jeff Cuozzo as the interim, pending contract negotiation. Viveiros said that Cuozzo had assumed that role in the past for over 6 months.

“He is the senior officer in the Department. Jeff is highly educated – has a master’s degree, multiple bachelor’s degrees, many fire service certifications. He is more than capable to serve in the interim role,” Viveiros said. Selectman Ashley DiSesa asked Cuozzo if it was something that he wanted to take on and he responded, “Yes, in the interim, yes.” DiSesa also asked him if he had a timeline for how long he was willing to act in the role. “Nope, no, I’m available… I really am flexible with the town. Whatever the town needs,” Cuozzo said. He did make it clear that the permanent role was not something he was interested in at this time in his life and career.

Regarding recruitment, Viveiros said that a lot of towns spend a lot of money on advertising and large searches. He told the Board, “My opinion, there is going to be a lot of local candidates that are highly qualified that would be best suited for the position.” Viveiros read a bit from a sample listing that he created. He said, “the ideal candidate would have a bachelor’s degree in public administration or a related field, 15 years of professional experience in an EMS/Fire Department, and at least five years as a company officer or higher.” Viveiros also offered a recommended salary which was disclosed only to the Selectmen.

Viveiros said that his template could be posted to the Mass Municipal Jobs website. He also recommended forwarding it the Fire Chiefs Association of MA (FCAM). He said it would reach all firefighters in Massachusetts and even some out of state firefighters who may be searching for a job.

Viveiros told the Selectmen that some towns hire a consultant. He recommended the current Secretary/Treasurer of FCAM and said that he asked him to offer a quote to the Board. He said that he could run an assessment center that would involve bringing in retired chiefs to act as evaluators. That group would do initial interviews, pick four finalists that they would run through the assessment center, and then offer a final recommendation to the Board. Viveiros said that the consultant he conferred with recommended possibly forming a Committee consisting of a Selectman, Town Administrator, Police Chief, and possibly a citizen at large to assist in the interview process.

DiSesa initially recommended trying to search without the consultant first to see how it goes. Selectman Jonathan Selig felt that it would be better to go with a consultant. “It’s pretty reasonable to have someone assess the candidates and have someone that is totally unbiased that can structure those interview questions,” Viveiros said of the consultant fee and services. “I, for one, know I’m not qualified to read a resume for fire chief,” Selectman Alex Meade said. After the discussion, DiSesa agreed. They agreed to form a search committee consisting of Selig, Interim Town Administrator Ed Thorne, Cuozzo, Police Chief Joao Chaves pending his agreement, and a citizen at large. Talent bank forms will need to be submitted for residents interested in serving on the Committee.

The Selectmen voted to form the Search Committee and have Viveiros post the job description the very next day. They also voted to have Selig take the lead in working with the consultant. Cuozzo was named as the Interim Fire Chief. “I just want to have on the record, just to thank you for all you’ve done – going above and beyond and doing more than the average fire chief does,” Selig said to Viveiros. Cuozzo said he was happy that Viveiros would still be nearby.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, May 23. They began with a reorganization of the Board. Christine Joy was once again elected as the Chair while John Traynor was voted in as Vice-Chair and Mark Russo as the Clerk.

Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy provided an update on the North Carver Redevelopment Project. She said that they had received some correspondence from residents who live in the affected area regarding heavy truck traffic around Montello St. Dennehy said that a meeting was being arranged between the highway directors of both towns.

“I think they’ve already done some things that they shouldn’t have done, and I don’t think they’ve been very neighborly,” Joy said of Carver. She said that the town needs to take advantage of whatever room is available legally to make sure affected residents are taken care of properly. Russo suggested that a committee might potentially be put together to provide regular updates on the project to both Selectmen and citizens.

Traynor said that he would like to be somewhat aggressive in the town’s approach. He said that if Carver does not respond positively to their requests, they should block the road and make it open to local traffic only and enforce it with a police detail as needed. Russo said he agreed but did not feel that Plympton should have to foot the bill for that police detail. The Selectmen voted to have Dennehy see if there is counsel that can be secured to ensure the best interest of the town.

The Selectmen also discussed the consideration of amendment to the agreement for judgment and settlement with Borrego regarding 61 Upland Rd. (Crescent Moon Cranberry. LLC). Russo said, “there are some strong reasons not to pursue – a long history for a difficult situation, but I have been thinking hard about some of the reasons to proceed and they are tending in my mind to outweigh the reasons not to… this seems like very easy money with little cost to the town.” He went on to say that if the solar project doesn’t go through, the land would be at risk for development. He said that while he does feel Plympton could use more development, he would like it to be done well and with strong input from town government. “In truth, Borrego’s been a good partner,” Russo said adding that both the Conservation Commission and the Planning Board have signed off on the project unanimously.

Joy asked if it would be possible to ask Borrego to purchase the entirety of the land and donate some of it back to the town for conservation to stop development. Jonathan Eichman of KP Law was on the call and was asked to please draft language asking Borrego if they would consider amending the settlement agreement as proposed. The Selectmen agreed to discuss further and make a decision during their June 6 meeting.

Dennehy brought to the Selectmen’s attention a historic outstanding balance in the ambulance fund. She said the auditor suggested having the Selectmen acknowledge the balance and write it off. The outstanding balance from the previous provider, COMSTAR, was just over $307,000. Dennehy described the accrued amount as “years and years of uncollected remnants of charges.” “I’m totally content to clear the books and it doesn’t seem to be a problem to periodically do this,” Russo said. The Selectmen voted to close out the account with COMSTAR.

The Selectmen also voted Monday to establish a policy regarding what flags can be flown on municipally owned flag poles. Town Counsel recommended two options, one of which was to prohibit the practice entirely outside of the U.S. flag, the State flag, and perhaps Plympton’s flag. The second option allowed more discernment on the part of the town’s government. Traynor said “I don’t want to be in the role of whose flag can go on the pole and who’s can’t. we have a lot of other things to do.” Joy and Russo agreed opting for the first option.

Dennehy provided a Town Administrator’s update. She said that they were moving along with the Townhouse roof project. She also told the Selectmen that they are working with the Highway Department on another grant funding source that is becoming available. It will provide $115,000 for roadway type projects. Dennehy said they are also looking to secure pricing for several projects so that the Selectmen can look at some potential ARPA projects during their next meeting. She also said that $25,000 has been earmarked for conservation/recreation. She said the funds will help the Town Properties Committee in assessing the sports fields. She also said that it would be used for updates to boardwalks and signage at some of the town’s parks.

Dennehy told the Selectmen that she had correspondence from Finance Committee Chair Nathaniel Sides announcing his resignation from the Committee. Dennehy said she was hopeful he would reconsider. “It would be a shame to have him step down,” she said. Traynor said that he was aware that Sides was unhappy with how certain votes went at town meeting. He said that Sides felt that the town, with the Selectmen’s backing, went against the recommendation of the Finance Committee on certain articles. Russo recognized that working on the Finance Committee is often a thankless job and said that he also hopes that Sides would reconsider. “I absolutely admire Nate’s work along the way,” Russo said.

The Selectmen ended their meeting with their rants and raves. Traynor said that his rave was for town meeting. “The voters who turned out, the stellar job that our moderator does – he sets the bar very high, that’s for sure,” Traynor said. He did, however, have a rant for the small percentage of registered voters that turned out for the town election. “The town voting was 327 people… only 13.8 percent… it takes 15 minutes to go in and vote… people should at least go in and take the time to support; we basically work for nothing… I always feel validated when I see a higher percentage of the town voting than the towns around us and that wasn’t the case this time,” Traynor lamented. Russo also said that his rave was for town meeting. He also gave a rave for the Plympton Board of Selectmen and the work that is accomplished by the three of them. Joy agreed about town meeting saying, “mine would be town meeting as well – all of the work that goes into it.”

Halifax voters made their voices heard in Saturday’s Annual Town Election, choosing two new selectmen, one for a three-year term and another for one year to fill the unexpired term for Troy Garron who retired on his 80th birthday.

Town Clerk Susan Lawless reported that out of 6,079 registerd voters in town 1,249 cast their ballots, either in person or by absentee, making 20.55 percent of the voters who let the town’s elected officials know their wishes..

Last year Town Clerk Barbara Gaynor took the microphone at Town Meeting to say that the atmosphere at Town Hall has been so divisive that she chose not to run for re-election after serving well in that position for many years.

Over the past year, Halifax  has lost several key people to retirement or to other towns, most notably Town Administrator Charlie Seelig who took his 20+ years of experience in Halifax to East Bridgewater.  Town Treasurer/Collector Pam Adducci packed up and followed a couple of weeks ago forcing a special election that will be held July 30.  Halifax’s Fire Chief, who has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money to his Halifax Fire Department, as of Tuesday was hoping to, finalize contract negotiations with  the neighboring town of Pembroke.

Will the exodus stop?

Here’s how Halifax voted.

Selectman for 3-years:

Gordon Andrews, candidate for re-election, 384.

Alexander J. Meade, 809

There were also four write-ins and 52 blanks.

Selectman for 1 year:

Robert A. McCarthy, 231

Naja Robert Nessralla, 230

Jonathan H. Selig, 766.

There was one write-in and 21 blanks.

Planning Board for a 5-year term:

Gordon R. Andrews, candidate for re-election, 381

Robert G. Gaynor, II, 795.

There was one write-in vote and 72 left blank.

Halifax Elementary School Committee for a 3-year term:

Jessica Page, 585

Peter J. Parcellin, 504.

There were no write-in votes and 160 blanks.

Halifax Elementary School Committe for a one year term:

Jennifer Ann Carroll, 510.

Karyn Beth Townsend, 600.

There were no write-in votes and 139 blanks.

Silver Lake Regional School Committee for a 3 year term

Paula Hatch, candidate for re-election, ran unopposed and won 898 votes.  There were six write-ins and 345 blanks.

Board of Assessors, 3 year term.

Holly Merry, 416.

Robert Mullen, 438

Michael J. Schleiff, 237

There was one write-in vote and 157 blanks.

Constable, for a three-year term, vote for two.

The two candidates for re-election were re-elected.

Thomas M. Hammond, 679.

Thomas F. Schindler, 612.

Michael J. Schleiff, 419.

There were six write-ins and 782 blanks.

Water Commissioner for a  3 year term.

Donald A. Bosworth, candidate for re-election, was re-elected with 572 votes.

Robert McCarthy won 520 votes.

There were three write-ins and 154 blanks.

Board of Health, 3 year term.

Candice Lee Greene, 949.

There were 10 write-ins and 290 blanks.

Board of Library Trustees for a 3 year term.  Vote for two.

Susan Hill, 942.

Erin Nagle, 45.

There were 36 write-ins and 1475 blanks.

Park Commissioner for three years.

Thomas F. Schindler, 928.

There were 9 write-ins and 312 blanks.

Question regarding Senior Center

684 voting YES, 385 voting NO,  and 180 blanks.