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Blaze of controversy in Marion By Andrea Smith
tritownobserver@aol.com After seven years as Marion fire chief, Rick Guerzoni's “retirement” was announced Tuesday night during a Marion selectmen meeting.
Guerzoni’s contract with the town was up for renewal.
Guerzoni wouldn’t comment on the reasons for his retirement other than to say that his health is fine and was not a factor in the decision. Guerzoni has been an employee of Marion for 37 years, 30 of which had been spent in the water department. Prior to being named fire chief, he served for three years as assistant fire chief.
“As I said to him personally and I’ll say publicly, he’s been an employee of the town for over 30 years. He’s dedicated an awful lot of time and energy to the town. I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him,” Dawson said.
Guerzoni’s retirement came shortly after the announcement that Polly Church (the only full-time employee working at the fire department other than Guerzoni) would be transferred to Town Hall and have her work hours dramatically reduced.
It’s been a tough couple of years for Guerzoni. A fire department study commissioned by the town which was highly critical of the relationship between Town Hall and the Fire Department was virtually ignored. Included in the study was a recommendation that the town add personnel to the Fire Department’s on-site staff. A subsequent request for additional staff funding brought before selectmen by Guerzoni in September of 2007 was denied during a heated televised meeting.
This past February, Guerzoni once again found himself on the hot seat during a selectmen meeting. Selectman Steve Cushing grilled him about firefighters smoking cigarettes within 50 feet of the fire station and about a fund-raising raffle being conducted by the Fire Department. Cushing said the raffle required a permit. Guerzoni said he wasn’t aware a permit was required.
Many Marion residents questioned the treatment of Guerzoni during that meeting. Both the Tri-Town Observer and The Sentinel criticized what appeared to be a politically motivated ambush.
Soon afterward, Guerzoni was called before selectmen in an executive session (which reportedly involved discussions of disciplinary action.
According to Guerzoni, the retirement letter he signed was drafted for him. On Friday tears welled in Guerzoni’s eyes as spoke talked about Marion’s firefighters. He said the group is an extended family.
“They are a tremendously dedicated bunch. They always act professionally. At a fire rescue scene they always give 200 percent,” Guerzoni said.
Guerzoni said one of his greatest joys had been “bringing new firefighters into the department, bringing them along in training, the camaraderie and seeing the outstanding work of the firefighters.”
He said he’s proud of the growth the fire department has experienced during his time as fire chief, both in personnel and equipment. He pointed with pride to the department’s newest acquisitions - Engine 1 - and the recently acquired 95-foot ladder truck. The new ladder truck, Guerzoni said, replaced the department’s “most hated piece of equipment,” a truck with a considerably shorter ladder that could only be used by standing it against a building or setting it up on a tripod.
A flash of humor slipped across Guerzoni’s face. He recalled the most unusual fire call he ever received as fire chief. One of Marion’s fire trucks had just been purchased second hand. Within a day or two of the truck’s delivery to the fire department, firefighters had come up with a list of needed repairs. Guerzoni sent the truck on its way to Attleboro for repairs. Not long after that a call came in from Mass Highwayreporting the fire truck was in flames on the highway. The truck was a total loss, but no one was injured.
“The last thing a fire chief expects is that a fire call is going to be about his truck. I’ve always prided myself in expecting the unexpected, but that’s one thing I never anticipated,” Guerzoni said.
There haven’t been any fatal fires during Guerzoni’s watch. He said to the best of his knowledge the last fatal Marion fire was in 1971, indicative of the effectiveness of smoke detectors, he said. There have been a number of fatal vehicle accidents during Guerzoni’s years as chief.
“Those are the tough calls, the ones you never get used to,” Guerzoni said.
Marion firefighters respond to approximately 120 vehicular accidents per year. With emergency calls coming in 24 hours a day, Guerzoni said he’s come into work after regular hours an average of three times a week.
Guerzoni said one of the hardest things about retirement is going to be hearing the fire whistle blow.
“That’s when I’ll tense up,” he said as tears moistened his eyes. “But I’ll listen on the scanner.”
Guerzoni cleared his office out early last week. On Friday he sat on the bumper of one of the fire trucks and stared out into the rain.
“I’d like to get away for a little bit, but no definite plans yet,” Guerzoni said. “I don’t have hobbies. This place is too demanding for that. I do like gardening and I have a punch list of things to do around my house. I hope to enjoy the summer. I guess I’ll enjoy having nights and weekends and holidays off.”
Guerzoni paused and stared hard into the rain.
“After taking a well-earned break, I’ll look for a job,” he said.
Interim chief steps down in first week
By Andrea Smith tritownobserver@aol.com
Marion Fire Chief Rick Guerzoni wasn’t the only one to walk away from a position as the head of Marion’s Fire department in the last few days.
Fire Captain Steven Robbins, appointed interim fire chief by Marion’s selectmen last Thursday, told town officials Tuesday morning that he’d changed his mind and didn’t want the position.
Robbins appointment as interim fire chief would have allowed him to continue to work at his regular job, which was located outside the town of Marion. As of Wednesday afternoon, the name of a new interim fire chief had not been announced. Allen Denham remains in the position of assistant fire chief.
Town administrator Paul Dawson told The Observer the permanent position of fire chief will be advertised after selectmen have determined the criteria for the fire chief position, including salary. The process of formulating criteria has been slowed somewhat by select board chair Jonathan Henry’s six day flu-related hospitalization. Henry was released from the hospital on Monday but is still recuperating.
Dawson discussed Robbins decision to decline the term as interim chief at Tuesday night’s selectmen meeting. He said Robbins’ decision came after a lot of personal thought and consultation with family.
“I certainly commend Steve Robbins for stepping up and in the end for recognizing (the interim fire chief’s position) is not the place he wants to be. Steve’s love is as a firefighter and that’s where he wants to be,” Dawson said.
It’s been a difficult few days for the Marion Fire Department. A meeting Monday night which brought Dawson, Robbins and members of Marion’s fire department left mixed impressions. One person in attendance described the meeting as highly emotional and at times contentious. Billy MacDougall, a 53-year veteran of the fire department said firefighters are upset about a lot of things.
Dawson had a different take on the meeting.
“I thought it was a great meeting. We had a lot of discussions. We had good discussions. Many of the people spoke of the need to restore the fire department and pull our weight to do what needs to be done.” Dawson said.
Denham said he couldn’t comment on the meeting, but he did offer a personal observation with a quiver in his voice.
“I’m sorry to see (Guerzoni) go. I don’t think they’ll find anyone as dedicated as he has been to the department,” Denham said.
| Vandals target Rochester resident
Another ugly chapter in the on-going saga of Rochester resident Ed Rose may have just been written.
Rochester Police Sergeant James Wassmouth’s report describes a recent incident at Rose’s property in black and white.
“The hydraulic lines on his Kobelco excavator and the brake line on the international dump truck were cut,” the report said.
The vehicles were vandalized while parked on Rose’s property. They were there as part of an agricultural project. Three of the 10 acres of cranberry bogs on Rose’s property are in the process of being rebuilt.
“Sabotaging machinery, what other scenario could there be than trying to stop our progress rebuilding the bogs?” Rose said Wednesday. “I’m only trying to do what people do in Rochester. I’m working in agriculture.”
Rose and his mother Jean claim they have endured a lot of vandalism lately. Flowering plants (cost $125) planted by his mother on Memorial Day on the Rose property were, in the words of Ed Rose, “stomped on and destroyed” that night. The flowers were planted on the corner of the Rose’s property that abuts the intersection of Walnut Plain Road and High Street. The area is precious to Ed and Jean. Over the years they’ve turned it into a place to commemorate their family. They’ve planted trees and mounted a sign with the family name Varella.
The Varella sign was torn from the ground and tossed in the woods, Ed Rose said. Limbs were broken from a treasured red maple tree. And then there’s the Obama sign that Rose had a graffiti artist paint prior to November’s election. The sign has stood on the property since the day it was mounted but three times it’s been vandalized. The final heartbreaking act of vandalism left the sign spray painted half brown and half white.
Rose, of Cape Verdean descent, admits there was a time when he was bitter and angry toward a lot of people in Rochester. His life had been turned into a nightmare by what he once described as frivolous complaints from people about barking from his dogs. But he said something good came out of the multiple dog hearings he was forced to attend.
“Through the experience of handling the dog situation a lot of good people came out of the woodwork to help me rectify the situation. After the dog situation, I know there’s a lot of love out there because a lot of people cared. Now I don’t feel like its Rochester against me. I feel like it’s a small group of people.”
Rose thought for awhile things were getting better. Tuesday night both the Rochester Police Department and the Rochester Fire Department were called to his property. The call to the police sent the animal control officer to Rose’s home. Allegedly his horses were whinnying. The Fire Department was told Rose’s house was on fire. It turned out to be a small camp fire a safe distance from Rose’s home.
“I love Rochester. I don’t think this is a reflection on Rochester. I think it’s just one person,” Jean said.
Ed Rose thinks it’s more likely a small group. The images of damage weigh heavy on his mind. A truck with a brake line cut, flowers that his mother lovingly planted destroyed, the Varella Corner sign ripped from the earth and tossed in the woods … the Obama sign.
“I know they don’t like hearing racism, but when you are targeted repeatedly because of your beliefs and your background … my Obama sign (vandalized) three times, when you are targeted repeatedly,” Rose’s said as his voice trailed off.
Neither Police Chief Paul Magee (on vacation for the week) nor Sgt. Wassmouth could be reached on Wednesday. Calls made Tuesday evening to Rochester dispatch reporting a fire and complaining about horses were confirmed by Rochester Police administrative assistant Suzanne Masky.
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Observer web sites
undergo redesign The web sites for the Wareham and Tri-Town Observer will launch the first stage of its new design early next week.
In conjuncture with the redesign, which will include merging the web sites into one central location, the site will be available by subscription only.
Both the Wareham and Tri-Town Observer newspapers will continue to publish as usual.
Observer Media, the owner of both publications and their respective web sites, reluctantly made the difficult decision to begin charging for the web site after weeks of discussions.
“The unfortunate reality is that newspapers are suffering during this prolonged economic slump,” said Robert Slager, publisher and president of Observer Media. “Print costs continue to rise. Consumer spending is down, which adversely affects advertising revenue. Newspapers all across the country are suffering massive layoffs or are closing their doors outright. We’re a small company. We operate a very tight financial ship. If we make any further cuts, the quality of our papers will suffer. We don’t want that to happen.”
There will be many new features right away. Articles and photos will be archived now, and a new on-line poll will be offered every few days.
In the coming weeks, several new features will be added as well, including moderated community forums, video capability, a friends networking module, and a whole lot more.Observer Media began charging for the Wareham Observer last November (the smaller Tri-Town Observer remains free). While the Wareham Observer retained more than half of its print readership after charging for the paper, many flocked to the free web site, which contained much of the content of the paid publication.
The Wareham Observer web site has averaged nearly 8,500 hits per week over the past month.
“Newspaper owners throughout the country are beginning to realize they are cannibalizing their paid print publications by offering the same content for free on-line,” Slager said. “There is a big move underway to begin charging for web site access. The New York Times has already begun to do so. There will come a point in the near future where all paid newspaper web sites will be by subscription only. It is an unfortunate sign of the times.”
There will be several cost options for the web site, based on frequency of visits. Observer Media has hired a consultant to assist in the necessary programming to ensure the security of credit card processing as well as establishing a system of linking passwords to individual subscribers in order to prevent passwords from being shared.
The company is considering working through PayPal but continues to explore all options. A final decision regarding payment processing will be made over the next few days.
Observer Media is very exited about the prospect of allowing Wareham residents to join polite and responsible debate over town issues in the community forums.
“Wareham is well aware of the viciousness of anonymous hate bloggers,” Slager said. “We would like to explore a way where subscribers can politely share their thoughts and viewpoints without the fear of being slandered in return.”
Slager said the chat room will not be a haven for anonymous hatebloggers.
“Although subscribers would be able to choose screen names of their own, this site will be governed through strict terms of use,” he said. “Every comment will be viewed before being published. We’re not interested in moderating anyone’s viewpoint, but personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated. Violators of the terms of service will have their chat room privileges revoked.”
Slager said Wareham needs this kind of inter-active forum.
“People should have a chance to make their voices heard,” he said. “Right now there is no on-line forum in Wareham where respectful debate can occur in a safe and polite environment. We would like to provide that for our subscribers.”
Further details regarding on-line subscriptions will be available at http://www.thewarehamobserver.com/ in the coming days.
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