NORWAY – Residents voted 1,757 to 839 Tuesday to change the method of selecting its fire chief from elected to appointed.
Selectmen said earlier this year that they wanted to change the way the chief is chosen to give officials more authority over the hiring process. They said in August that appointing a fire chief will bring greater accountability. They also worried that a popular but unqualified candidate would not be best for the town.
Town Manager David Holt said the concern with electing a fire chief is that “you could elect someone like me as fire chief, and I wouldn’t know how to be one.”
He said if the position is filled appointment, there would be some kind of test to make sure the chief is aware of basic laws and training methods.
After being tested, Holt said the candidate would meet with selectmen to decide on whether to confirm the appointment.
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