Chelmsford Hires New Building Commissioner

The Board of Selectmen Monday night voted unanimously to confirm Chelmsford's  newest hire. 

Mark Dupell will begin his job as building commissioner on July 13. 

Dupell, of Pepperell, was one of about 20 candidates that applied for the role, according to Town Manager Paul Cohen. 

"He was the most qualified and fortunately we had a number of qualified applicants," Cohen said. "He stood out the best amongst them." 

Cohen said that Dupell was chosen for the job because he had direct experience with zoning enforcement and is certified to be a building commissioner. He previously served as Tyngsboro's building commissioner for nine years, according to Cohen. 

"What we believe is that this is going to really be a step up for us," Cohen said. 

The position became available when Scott Hammond, previous building commissioner, resigned because of allegations that he had violated zoning laws on his own property. 

This time around applicants were vetted to make sure they followed zoning and building guidelines on their property. 

"The answer was yes that they had," Cohen said. "We didn't want a repeat of what we went through."