(Published in print: Tuesday, March 22, 2016)
When the voting results came in, the people had spoken, and New Ipswich had two new committees.
But there’s no one to fill them — yet.
Voters gave the go-ahead for the creation of two committees in town on March 8. The first is a committee that will be formed annually to select a nominee for fire chief.
This year was the last that the town will get the opportunity to elect their fire chief on the ballot.
The Select Board put forth an article this year to have the fire chief be appointed by the Select Board, rather than elected by the public. While Meredith Lund — who was elected on March 8 as a first-term chief — told the public she did want to see the people have some say. Voters approved an amendment by Lund to use a committee to nominate the fire chief, made up of two fire department members, two community members and one Select Board member. The Select Board will still make the final confirmation. The town is asking for potential volunteers for the committee.
On a more permanent basis, the town is also seeking four members to fill four positions on the town’s new heritage commission.
Heritage Commissions are required to be between three and seven members — New Ipswich has created a four-member commission, all seats of which are currently empty.
The Heritage Commission has two functions. The first is to inventory and protect the town’s cultural resources. The second, and one of the key points of the Heritage Commission is that they are allowed to receive gifts of money and property in the name of the town for the preservation of cultural resources. Those interested in joining either group should contact Town Administrator Joanne Meshna at 878-2772 ext. 4 or administrator@townofnewipswich.org.