Boxborough Select Board Sets June 5 Fire Chief Interviews, Skips Special Election

BOXBOROUGH -- May 30, 2023, Boxborough Select Board advances fire chief search and revises senior benefit policy. The four-member board, meeting May 30, declined to hold a special election to fill the seat vacated by Diana LePari's resignation due to health issues, with Member Wes Fowler arguing the one-year remaining term did not justify the cost and administrative burden. Town Administrator Mike Guzinski described a six-stage fire chief search, including a $6,000 Town Meeting-authorized assessment center conducted that same day by Community Paradigm Associates using four active and retired fire chiefs, and recommended the Select Board interview the top two finalists in person on June 5, with candidates first touring the fire and police stations and interviews recorded but not broadcast live. Fire Captain Jason Malinowski urged the board to weigh local availability, noting that Boxborough's chief is "with us so often on the side of the highway." The board also unanimously approved a revised senior tax work-off policy, replacing a 125-hour cap with a direct reference to the $1,500 limit in MGL Chapter 59, Section 5K, ensuring the roughly 24 program participants continue to be paid at the full $15-per-hour state minimum wage.