When Beverly fire Chief Paul Cotter turns 65 next spring, he wants to still be serving alongside his fellow firefighters, not forced to retire as state law mandates.
The city has petitioned the state Legislature to allow Cotter to continue to work, and retire on his own terms. The matter is currently under consideration.
Cotter, 64, has been a firefighter in Beverly for 34 years. He was named chief of the department in 2010. Though not a Beverly native, he moved to the area with friends after he completed military service.
"When I came up here, I fell in love with it and never left," the Framingham-area native said.
The state mandatory retirement age, which extends to all firefighters and police officers, is 65. The law was enacted as part of the Acts of 1987.