Fire Chief search resumes as Thurz turns down Grafton’s job offer
Glastonbury Fire Chief Michael Thurz has turned down Grafton’s job offer, one day after the Select Board voted to hire him over two other candidates.
“I want to thank you and the Board for the opportunity to interview for Fire Chief.,” Thurz wrote in an email to Town Administrator Evan Brassard. “However, after our meeting last night, and my own personal deliberation, I am removing my name for consideration. The decision is personal, and not a reflection of you, the Board or the Grafton community. My apologies for the inconvenience that this has caused, as the situation needs to be a good fit for all involved.”
The Select Board and the town administrator will discuss how to restart the hiring/search process. The Fire Chief Search Committee, working with public safety consulting firm BadgeQuest, was created last March and winnowed down a large candidate pool to three this month.
“While this development is a setback in the process, I am confident that we will find the right fit for the men and women of the Grafton Fire Department,” Brassard said.
While the Select Board did reach a consensus on Thurz, it was by no means a unanimous decision from the start.
Several members, most notably Chair Peter Carlson and member Ray Mead, were taken aback by Thurz’s tone when he said that he would like to meet with current Fire Chief Mickey Gauthier and other members of the fire department before proceeding,.Doreen DeFazio, the Select Board’s representative on the search committee, had also commented that while Thurz was her top pick in initial interviews, she had a concern, after his interview with the board, that he might not be a good fit for Grafton.
It is unclear if the town would entirely hit the restart button on the search or re-examine the other two finalists, Chief Robert Valentine of Groveland and Chief Jeffrey Legendre of Bolton. Valentine, who spent most of his career in Lincoln, Rhode Island, appeared to be a strong second choice,
Gauthier plans to retire in December.
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