By Beth David, Editor
At its meeting on 7/9/24, the Acushnet Selectboard discussed the process for hiring a police chief, and approved the transfer of the All-Alcohol Beverages License for the River’s End, from Mark DeSilva to Ernie Medeiros.
SB member David Wojnar thanked the DeSilvas for “being such an important part of the community.”
He said it was a place where people could “hang out,” and there was never any issues there. He said they did a great job and that Mr. Medeiros would have big shoes to fill.
“Owning an establishment in town is a huge responsibility,” said Mr. Wojnar, adding it was not just about “making the last buck, but about being part of the community and being involved.”
“I’ll second that all day long,” said SB member Kevin Gaspar, calling the DeSilvas “tremendous business owners.”
He said they have been “heavily involved” in giving back to the community. He said he will miss them, but knows they are not leaving the community.
SB Chairperson Bob Hinckley told them he hoped they will get some rest and enjoy some relaxation. He noted that the River’s End is the first thing people see driving into town, or leaving.
“You have big shoes to fill,” he told Mr. Medeiros.
Mr. Medeiros’s attorney told the board that he appreciated working with the good people and that the town has good people working there.
He said the people in town hall were very helpful through the process.
The board also discussed with Police Chief Chris Richmond, who is retiring as of 9/6, the process for hiring his replacement.
Chief Richmond laid out three scenarios with a variety options. The first step is to call for a civil service assessment center, and to set the criteria.
One option would only open the test to Acushnet police officers, but it is a small department so they may not get the four sergeants they need to complete Civil Service requirements.
Another is to open it up to any police officer in the state with the managerial experience required. That could get very expensive, he said, because the town would have no control over how many people would apply, and the town pays the assessment center based on the number of candidates.
The third option, would limit the candidates who can apply by requiring a certain level of education and experience, including as a police chief.
The position will also have to be posted for a number of weeks, so Chief Richmond recommended acting quickly.
The board discussed the different options, and the possibility of simply choosing the same company they used when they hired Chief Richmond. Town Administrator, Jamie Kelley, told the board they needed to use the Request for Proposals process.
The board also discussed the possibility of controlling how much each part of the process would count towards a score, such as the percentage for weighing the assessment center’s choice, and the written portion of the process, and the interview with the board.
The amount of flexibilty the town has was unclear, so the board voted to have Chief Richmond get the process started by choosing the assessment center and educational/ experience model, and calling for the Civil Service list.
The board will receive more information on the other details at their next meeting and move the process forward from there.
In another matter, the board voted to rescind the common victualer license of Yozakura Kitchen because it had been contingent on the restaurant getting a parking agreement with a neighboring business. That arrangement fell through. The owner told the board that he was closing his doors in Acushnet as of September 1. The board voted to allow him to operate until that time and encouraged him to try to re-work the parking plan, saying if he worked it out he could go back to the board to get the license back.
In another matter, the board voted to award the Slocum Street project to Biszko Contracting of Fall River.
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Click here to download the 07-18-24 issue: 07-18-24 Myers
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