By Scott Mackeen
Staff Writer
5/14/09
After being appointed the next fire chief by Selectmen on April 30, Deputy Fire Chief Brian Linehan turned down the position.
His appointment as chief was contingent upon his reaching an agreement with the Selectmen.
Linehan, a 26-year department veteran who last week spoke of his plans for the Fire Department in an interview with the Times, said Monday the two parties could not reach an agreement.
“Things didn’t progress the way I thought they would. I kind of had that feeling from the beginning,” he said.
Linehan has served as deputy chief since 1992. He also works for the Milton Housing Authority and has a state job for which he receives overtime pay.
Town Administrator Kevin Mearn said “financial considerations” factored into Linehan’s decision.
“He works three jobs. He’d be putting in the same amount of hours [as chief]. But the pay would not be the same,” said Mearn. “He has a financial commitment to his family. I think you have to respect that.”
According to Mearn, the chief’s position would pay $130,000 annually. Linehan currently makes around $100,000 as deputy chief, and Mearn did not indicate the amount he makes at his other jobs.
In the chief’s position, Mearn said, “He would be getting nowhere near [what he earns now].”
The current fire chief, Malcolm Larson, is set to retire effective June 30. Linehan, who sent a letter to the Selectmen’s office last Friday informing them he will not become the new chief, said it was a difficult decision.
Selectman Chair John Shields said he has known Linehan for a long time and respects his decision.
“It came down to finances. Obviously, he was thinking about the financial future of his family,” he said.
While he thinks Linehan would have made a good chief, Shields said “there is no animosity whatsoever.
“I was very comfortable with him
as the choice. I think he could have led the department,” Shields said. “[But] I think he’s made the right decision for his family.”
Selectmen previously interviewed three finalists, selected by a screening committee, for the chief’s position. The other two candidates were Deputy Chief John Grant Jr. and John Foley Jr. Grant has served in the department for 22 years and Foley for 37 years.
Shields said the Selectmen will likely appoint one of them to the position when they meet Thursday, May 14. He said the new chief will need time to learn the job alongside Larson, who will stay on for two weeks to train his replacement.
“I think the consensus will be, we want to get this done soon rather than later,” said Shields.