By Jean Perry, Neighb News Correspondent
In the absence of Fairhaven Board of Health Chairperson Peter DeTerra during the board’s 12/2 meeting, BOH members Michael Ristuccia and Geoffrey Haworth interviewed two health inspector candidates, ultimately hiring the lifelong Fairhaven resident as the tiebreaker for the two men’s seemingly equal qualifications.
Mr. Haworth and Sarah Dupont, the interim health agent, conducted the initial interviews of a larger pool of candidates. They narrowed it down to the one they picked, Tom Hemingway, a 59-year Fairhaven resident who once served as Fairhaven’s health inspector until he abruptly quit, and the current part-time assistant health agent for the Town of Acushnet, Patrick Hannon.
When Mr. Hemingway arrived for his interview, Mr. Ristuccia urged him: “Sell yourself to me.”
“I have a good rapport with people, and I’m here to help,” said Mr. Hemingway before expressing his gratitude for the work of his two interviewers. “I don’t think I have to sell myself. I’ll do the job and I’ll get it done.”
In response to questioning, Mr. Hemingway said he was the town’s health inspector for three years. No one asked him why he left the job four years ago, or commented on the circumstances surrounding his decision to quit.
In a phone interview, Mr. Hemingway said that he left the job without the customary two weeks notice, but it was not “abrupt” or a surprise. He said he left for personal reasons, due to some stresses in his personal life. He also said that department personnel and the board knew about his situation and were not surprised, because they knew that he might have to leave on short notice.
“I did not leave abruptly. [The health agent] and I talked many times over,” he said, about his need to leave. “I had personal things going on and she gave me her blessing.”
Mr. Hemingway said he liked the job, and had no problems with anyone professionally. He said they were a good team and “great to work for.”
“I absolutely love Fairhaven,” he said. “My mother and father raised us in this town. I love this area.”
Mr. Ristuccia noted that because of COVID-19 the job would require a little more, including “educational stuff with the restaurant people.”
“You seem very sure of yourself,” said Mr. Ristuccia. “You’ve done the work in the past; you know what it is, you know the town … you’re very familiar. So, I have no question in my mind that … you would be as good or better and he would be as good or better at the job – it’s going to be a very difficult decision.
“As you can see,” said Mr. Haworth “[Mr. Hemingway has] done the job, he’s been here and done the job for three years … so there’s no question that he could hit the ground running. He’s a lifelong town resident … so that in itself makes him an excellent candidate, but the fact that he knows the job inside and out makes him an even better candidate.”
Mr. Haworth noted Mr. Hemingway’s “direct approach,” and confidence.
“You don’t want to be a harasser-type agent,” added Mr. Hemingway. “You don’t want to go in and really boggle people down; you want to help them.”
The board members both agreed that both candidates were good choices, and decided that Mr. Hemingway had the edge because he is a Fairhaven resident.
Mr. Ristuccia said he would like to employ both men since there may be some leftover funds in the BOH budget due to not having paid staff salaries because the department has been short two staff members, a health inspector and an administrative assistant, for weeks.
Mr. Haworth took the opportunity to assure the public that the BOH members do more than show up to a meeting every two weeks. He said they do a lot “day-in-day-out,” and that every member of the board “is in communication every day,” to make sure the town has a “functioning public health department in this crisis.”
The two voted to hire Mr. Hemingway and set his pay scale at $28.40/hors. They then voted to hire Mr. Hannon on a temporary basis at the same pay scale pending the availability of funds.
During her report, Ms. Dupont reported the state’s 11/25 data, stating that Fairhaven had a total of 110 active cases and 540 for the year. Fairhaven has moved from “red” to “yellow” in the states’s color-coded system.
The Fire Department will continue to conduct free COVID-19 testing for Fairhaven residents every Saturday from 9 a.m.-noontime at the Recreation Center until further notice. Residents must show proof of Fairhaven residency.
Mr. Haworth reported that he had been thinking about the pandemic and believes he has found a new way to combat the spread of the virus that perhaps no one has thought of: HEPA filters in buildings such as nursing homes.
“I’m a contractor. I put together buildings. I understand how buildings work,” said Mr. Haworth. “Most of these buildings in town have forced hot air…. And I think one of the things that could really help … in these facilities is— if we actually reach out and check if these facilities are using HEPA filters…”
He said he suspects that heating systems may be recirculating the virus throughout buildings and people are indoors more now.
“I was having a long thought about this the other day, as like, how can we prevent these closed spaces?” Mr. Haworth said. “And I looked it up and, sure enough, they have — they’re called HEPA filters. And they claim that it will filter out the COVID.”
Mr. Haworth said the board is always working and “thinking outside of the box” to develop “new ways of combatting the situation’ behind the scenes.
He recommended having Ms. Dupont reach out to the nursing homes and schools to tell them about HEPA filters because, he continued, “Little guidances like this will help.”
Ms. Dupont said she communicates with the superintendent of schools weekly but could not recall whether the schools already employ HEPA filters, but she check.*
Mr. Haworth also implored residents to resist “COVID fatigue,” adding, “If you’re not covering your nose and mouth, you’re not doing what you need to do.”
The board is running “full steam over here,” Mr. Haworth continued, coming up with ways to help. He said he has man ideas but is selective with what he brings to the public.
“If I sat here with all my ideas,” he said. “I think I would bore the public and bore this room.”
The board also heard from Department of Public Works Superintendent Vincent Furtado about complaints that DPW workers were not wearing masks in public. Mr. Furtado assured the board that masks are provided and use is enforced.
Just as Mr. Haworth motioned to adjourn, resident Diane Hahn, who had been outside Town Hall protesting and attempting to submit requests to appear on the board’s agenda, asked to speak, saying that her virtual Zoom hand had remained raised but was ignored.
“And now you’re probably going to mute me; however, I did—”
“Off!” Mr. Ristuccia ordered, and the technician muted Ms. Hahn immediately. “Anybody that’s going to speak out of turn is not going to be speaking at any of the public health meetings that I control.”
A prior version of the Zoom recording ended a second or two after adjournment when Mr. Ristuccia could be heard saying, “Jerk!” The video on the official town website, www.FairhavenTV.com cuts out before the insult.
*During the School Committee’s 8/19/20 meeting, school administrators introduced the measures that experts had recommended for inhibiting the spread of COVID-19 inside schools, including the use of air filters in the HVAC system. See the 8/27/20 edition of the Neighb News.
•••
Support local journalism, donate to the Neighb News with PayPal.
Click here to download the entire 12/10/20 issue: 12-10-20 BenoitLights