Former Alderman William Roche Hired as City's Personnel Director

William Roche, who served 17 years on the Somerville Board of Aldermen as the representative for Ward 1, has been hired as the city's full-time personnel director.

The Somerville Board of Aldermen approved their former colleague's hire at a meeting on Feb. 28.

Roche , citing a desire to spend more time with his family.

Almost immediately—the morning after, in fact—Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone's office announced for the city. In that role, Roche was tasked, among other things, with helping to find a full-time replacement for Sarah Kloos, the previous personnel director, who stepped down on Nov. 30, 2012 when she had her second child.

In talking about hiring Roche on a full-time basis, Curtatone said Monday that "I asked him to come on full-time" back in December.

"His background and qualifications are impeccable," the mayor said.

Roche holds a master's degree in human resources from Boston University, and he spent over a decade working as a human resources manager at NSTAR, where he also served as a safety compliance manager, according to an announcement sent by the city in December.

Curtatone said, "We went through an extensive search" to find a new personnel director, and Roche fit the bill.

The former alderman recently retired from NSTAR, which allowed him to take on his new role on a full-time basis, the mayor said.