Neighbor News
An Interim Hire for the DPW Director Position is the Right Move
Over the past 3 days, I have heard from numerous Melrosians about this topic. I wanted to make my thoughts on this public.
On Tuesday, July 30th, the members of the Board of Aldermen received a memo from Mayor Infurna that stated her reasoning and intentions to hire a DPW Director in the wake of Mr. Scenna’s departure on September 6th. Mayor Infurna stated that she will “begin the process of hiring a new DPW Director right away. This is a critical position for the city, and it cannot remain vacant for long...Hiring a DPW director is an immediate priority and one that is a lengthy process.”
I am in complete agreement that this critical role should be filled. The DPW has many important responsibilities and the employees of the DPW and the residents deserve leadership in this department. However, I disagree that it should be filled as a permanent hire; rather I strongly believe that an interim Director should be appointed.
In less than four months, Melrose will have a new Mayor. The next Mayor - whoever it is - will likely have a new perspective on what he or she would like to see in a DPW Director. And, candidly, the next Mayor could very well terminate the permanent hire Mayor Infurna ultimately seeks to appoint.
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An interim hire is a much more prudent and efficient decision, given the upcoming transitions in city government. It doesn’t involve the creation of a search committee, involvement of an HR function and the resources of multiple rounds of interviews. Plus, an interim hire would come from within the existing departmental ranks and be someone who can jump into the role immediately and function competently until a replacement is sought by the next duly elected Mayor.
The City of Melrose has wonderful, hardworking employees and I reiterate my request that Mayor Infurna consider filling the DPW Director position as an interim hire from within the City. The decision on a new permanent hire should be left for the new Mayor to make. This approach would lead to a better hiring process, ensuring that the new head of the DPW shares the vision of the next Mayor looking ahead to the next four years. This will benefit employees of the DPW and, ultimately, the residents of Melrose.
