DPW Head 'Ready To Start New Chapter;' Interviews In Lynnfield

MELROSE, MA — Melrose DPW Director John Scenna, a longtime city employee whose department has been under fire since the latest sewer backup devastated four Brazil Street homes, is one of two finalists for the position of Lynnfield's water superintendent, according to the Melrose Weekly News.

"I am here because I am ready to start a new chapter in my career," Scenna, a Lynnfield resident, said, according to the News.

Scenna did not return a call from Patch seeking comment.

It's unknown when Scenna set his sights on Lynnfield. With Mayor Gail Infurna this fall finishing out what started as Rob Dolan's term - and the DPW at the center of one of Melrose's worst public relations nightmares in recent memory - it may be a natural transition point.

A review of the Brazil Street incident released Friday by Weston & Sampson said the backup was caused by a number of factors, including pipes that were more than a century old and not up to today's standards. The report also said DPW workers used "typical protocol" in trying to remedy the initial backup, but that they may have used different tools if they were aware of the sewer conditions.

Scenna would be following Dolan, who left Melrose to become Lynnfield Town Administrator. Scenna was at DPW for the entirety of former Dolan's tenure as Melrose mayor.

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