The Civil Service Commission has denied an appeal from District Fire Chief Samuel Richesson who, despite scoring highest on the Civil Service exam, was passed over for promotion to deputy chief after his performance in an interview.
“The preponderance of the evidence shows that Mr. Richesson performed poorly during his interview,” Christopher C. Bowman, chairman of the state’s Civil Service Commission wrote in an Aug. 2 decision. “In summary, the Appellant’s poor interview performance, standing alone (emphasis original), provided the city with a valid reason to bypass him for the position of deputy fire chief.”
The job of deputy fire chief opened after then-Deputy Chief Michael Lavoie was promoted to fire chief in January 2017. The city based its selection for the vacant position on a written examination (40 percent) a practical section before a panel (40 percent) and education and experience (20 percent).