Rolli to be named Chief
Published on April 18th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - A lifelong resident and a 25 year veteran of the Stoneham Fire Department, Joe Rolli is set to become the next fire chief and it should become official at next week's Board of Selectmen meeting after Rolli was appointed to the position by Town Administrator Dave Ragucci.
"It's going to be nice to get some stability...we've had acting chief to interim chief to acting chief with everyone else in interim and acting roles as well," said Rolli, a Stoneham Fire Department Captain for the last 17 years. "This way everyone has their permanent roles and we can start going forward and meeting the challenges we're facing here in town."
While the move won't be official until the Selectmen sign off on it, Rolli has already begun to map out a plan for the department and hopes that he can plan around Selectmen R. Paul Rotondi's five-year plan that he presented to the Selectmen several weeks back.
"I really think that Rotondi's plan is something that will work wonders for everyone in the town, and I really hope it passes," said Rolli. "Either way we're just going to go out and do our jobs, but there are some serious manpower issues facing us in the department. We do the best that we can with the resources that we have, and we'll continue to do the best we can with the manpower that we have."
The town's bylaws allow the Selectmen an opportunity to reject any TA appointment within 7 days. Rolli was selected out of two final candidates who applied for the post, but there were originally three applicants for the position -- with one dropping out prior to the search committee interviews.
The search committee, made-up of three people, consisted of Betty Luciano, former Stoneham Fire Chief Bill Abbott, and one current fire chief from an outside community, with the final interviews having been conducted last week.
Luciano, the chairperson of the Fire Chief Search Committee, was asked if the appointment of Rolli was in line with the recommendations of the search committee.
"Yes it was," said Luciano. "At this point [the appointment] is going to the Selectmen [next Tuesday]. [Ragucci] is recommending that the Selectmen appoint Joe Rolli.
The position, advertised in local newspapers and two Internet sites, has a salary range between $84,764 and $100,759, although that price-range was listed as "negotiable" in the advertisements.
"We have a young department that is getting younger each and every year, and over half of our guys have also worked as EMT's...so that tells you the experience and education that our firefighters have," said Rolli. "It's been a long journey to get to this point for me, and it's certainly not going to be easy. But I really wanted to take this one during a time of difficulty and try to help the town steer through the tough times. It's certainly a challenge that I'm willing to accept.
Rolli will turn 47 in December and said that he sees himself as the chief in Stoneham, with all things being equal, for the next 9-19 years depending on whether he decides to retire at 55 or 65 - but he doesn't see himself giving up the job anytime soon after a lifetime of fighting fires and coming to the aid of people in crisis.
"I've got kids going to college soon, so I don't see myself retiring anytime soon," cracked Rolli.
Rolli replaces outgoing fire chief Larry Lamey, who retired several months back after missing significant time on medical leave after undergoing bypass heart surgery in the spring of 2005. Lamey, who was a Deputy Chief of the Norton Fire Department prior to his hiring in 1997, followed Stoneham Fire Chief William McLaughlin and was the only fire chief in recent Stoneham history to not be a native of the town - something that Rolli most certainly is.
"We're looking for someone with fire experience and an educational background not only on a college level, but with other programs and certifications," said Ragucci in a phone interview prior to Rolli's appointment.
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