Town to launch search for new fire chief

By Mike Berger

With a new police chief named last week, the Canton Select Board and Town Administrator Charles Doody will now turn their attention to hiring a new fire chief. Towards the end of their meeting on Tuesday night, Doody announced that Canton’s current fire chief, Wendell Robery, is approaching the state-mandated retirement age for fire chiefs and is set to retire in April when he turns 65.

Doody told the board he expects the search for a new fire chief will be similar in scope to the police chief’s search. He said the town will hire a professional consulting firm well versed in fire department hiring processes and candidates will go through an extensive screening and interview process before finalists are recommended to the Select Board for public interviews.

Doody said if the process goes well and the final interviews are held before the chief’s retirement, there may not be any need to name an interim chief. If that need does arise, he said he will select one of the two deputy chiefs to lead the department until a permanent chief is appointed. Doody said he expects several in-house candidates to apply for the position.

Regarding the selection of Michael Daniels as Canton’s next police chief, Daniels has agreed to meet all of the requirements of a conditional offer of employment, including a physical and background checks, and he has notified the town of Oxford, his current employer, about his decision to accept the Canton position. Daniels and Doody are now negotiating a three-year contract. Once the hiring process is finished, Daniels will spend a week working alongside Interim Police Chief Joseph Perkins as part of the transition. Doody said the goal is to have Daniels start his new position in February.

Also at Tuesday night’s meeting, the Select Board voted to approve an all-alcohol and common victualler’s license for Conrad’s Restaurant, which plans to open a new location at the former Bertucci’s at the Village Shoppes. Company owner Robert Conrad said they hope to open the restaurant by the end of March or early April. He described Conrad’s, which currently has locations in Norwood, Walpole, Foxboro and Needham, as a casual dining restaurant with a varied menu that appeals to families as well as couples. He said all Conrad’s locations have function halls, and they each employ between 35 and 55 employees. He added that the Canton restaurant will be active in the community and will give back to various local causes.

In other news from the January 6 meeting …

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