Three people have applied for the fire chief’s position in Shelton, according to senior Human Resources assistant Linda Hooper.
Among the applicants: Mike Ullrich, the Board of Fire Commissioner’s first pick for the post.
After going through the application process once before in December 2010, the Board of Fire Commissioners is starting the process over because Mayor Mark Lauretti twice rejected their chosen candidate, Ullrich.
Lauretti cited incompatibility, and declined to give more specifics about the denial.
Ullrich was the top scorer on a fire chief’s test in December, beating out the second candidate Daryl Osiecki.
Osiecki said he did not apply for the chief’s position again, but declined to comment further.
Click here for a story about the public debate over the process.
The Other Applicants
The three applications will be passed along to the Board of Fire Commissioners at their next meeting on Oct. 4, Hooper said Thursday.
Hooper declined the name the applicants, saying the Board of Fire Commissioners has not been told their names yet.
Assistant Fire Chief Paul Wilson told the Valley Indy that he applied. Firefighters speculate that the third is former Fire Chief Fran Jones.
Jones could not be reached for comment.
Wilson, a 21-year veteran to firefighting and a career firefighter in New Canaan, said he supported Ullrich for the chief’s position, but now the department needs to just move forward.
“He’s one of my best friends,” Wilson said of Ullrich. “We talked on a personal level, to make sure he was understanding I’m not trying to run against him. I’m just trying to move forward.”
Wilson said the department needs someone to steer everyone in the right direction, and pick up morale.
“I think I can do the job well,” Wilson said.
Ullrich said he’s not anticipating Lauretti would allow him to become chief, but he wanted to apply again anyway.
“Both times so far it’s been no,” Ullrich said this month. “Why would the third time be different.”
Ullrich said if he doesn’t get named to the chief’s position, he might seek out other posts, such as an assistant chief.
Fire Commissioner Tim Manion said the commission would review the applications at its next meeting, and decide how to move forward with the hiring process. He couldn’t comment more because he said he hasn’t received the official word on who applied.
The fire chief’s job pays about $15,000 a year.
