Accountability posts
Drafts ready to share. Click to copy, then post. Board of Firewards · Sunapee · April 1, 2026.
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Timeline accountability for a critical public safety hire
Sunapee Board of Firewards (4/1/26): The town is hiring its first full-time fire chief — and the job description still isn't approved. Vote delayed to April 20th Select Board meeting. Every week of delay pushes back a hire the d... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/board-of-...
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Unresolved governance restructuring discussed without public notice or resolution
At Sunapee's 4/1/26 Firewards meeting, a board member openly said the Fire Wards should be eliminated — folding the fire dept directly under the town manager. No vote, no public notice this was on the table. Residents deserve a... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/board-of-f...
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Fairness and transparency of the Fire Ward appointment process
Sunapee's Fire Ward vacancy may have excluded qualified applicants. The 4/1/26 meeting flagged that public notification of the opening was inadequate. The Select Board tabled the appointment — but made no firm commitment to rest... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/board-of-...
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Unresolved hiring process concerns with a history of past problems
A board member at Sunapee's 4/1/26 Firewards meeting cited 'past issues with previous fire chiefs' as reason to get this hire right. The board is still debating qualifications, process, and structure. No concrete transparent hir... https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/board-of-...
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THREAD: Sunapee's Board of Firewards met on 4/1/26. The town is in the middle of hiring its first full-time fire chief. Here's what happened — and what's still unresolved. 🧵 #MeetingWatch
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1/ The fire chief job description was supposed to be approved at this meeting. It wasn't. It's now punted to the April 20th Select Board meeting. The delay pushes back an already critical timeline for a department in the middle...
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2/ One source of the holdup: a debate over whether to require a bachelor's degree for the fire chief — the same standard used for the police chief at the same pay grade. Fire dept reps argued consistency matters. Fire Wards were...
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3/ Meanwhile, there are only two applicants for an open Fire Ward seat — and the process that produced them was flagged as inadequately public. One board member argued the vacancy was never properly noticed to residents. The Sel...
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4/ No firm commitment was made to restart the application process with broader public outreach. That means qualified Sunapee residents may simply not have known the seat was open.
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5/ One board member went further: he stated plainly that the Fire Ward structure should be eliminated entirely and the fire department folded directly under the town manager. No vote, no agenda item, no public notice. This is a...
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6/ On top of all this: a board member flagged that New London Ambulance's departure and dispatch service changes will be major challenges for whoever becomes fire chief. The town doesn't have a chief, a job description, or a cle...
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7/ The April 20th Select Board meeting is the next key date. Sunapee residents who care about fire department leadership and accountability should be in the room. #Sunapee #CivicAccountability https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/board-of-firewards/2026-04-01/ #SunapeeNH
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Longer-form draft.
**Sunapee Board of Firewards — April 1, 2026: A Divided Board, No Decisions, and Big Questions Left Open** Sunapee is working to hire its first full-time fire chief — a major step for the department. But after the April 1st Board of Firewards meeting, the town is no closer to getting there. Here's what residents need to know. **The job description still isn't approved.** It was expected to be finalized at this meeting. Instead, it's been pushed to the April 20th Select Board meeting. The sticking point includes a debate over educational requirements: Select Board members want a bachelor's degree requirement, consistent with the police chief standard at the same pay grade. Fire department representatives backed that position on equity grounds. The Fire Wards weren't aligned, and no agreement was reached. **The Fire Ward vacancy process raised red flags.** Only two people — Dana and Rick Mastiff — applied for the open Fire Ward seat. One board member argued that the vacancy wasn't adequately publicized, meaning qualified residents likely never had a fair chance to apply. The Select Board tabled the appointment and will take it up at its next meeting, but made no firm commitment to restart the process with better public outreach. That's a meaningful distinction. **A board member called for eliminating the Fire Wards entirely.** During discussion of the department's governance structure, one Fire Ward member stated his personal view that the board should be dissolved and the fire department placed directly under the town manager — calling the Wards "an extra layer in the middle." This is a significant structural question with real implications for how public safety is overseen in Sunapee. It was raised in open discussion without a formal agenda item, public notice, or any path to a community conversation about it. Separately, the board also mentioned that the departure of New London Ambulance and upcoming dispatch service changes will be pressing challenges for the new chief — challenges that remain unaddressed while the leadership position sits vacant. The next key date is **April 20th**, when the Select Board is scheduled to take up the fire chief job description. If you care about who leads Sunapee's fire department and how that decision gets made, now is the time to pay attention. https://meetingwatch.org/nh/sunapee/board-of-firewards/2026-04-01/ #MeetingWatch #SunapeeNH