As it has for most years since 2010, the Pendleton Fire Department is bringing in a new person to lead it.
The city hired Jim Critchley, a retired chief for the Tucson, Arizona, fire department, to replace Paul Berardi on an interim basis.
Reached for comment on the road back to his native Kansas City, Missouri, Berardi said Pendleton was a great town, but he decided against applying for the permanent position because most of his family remains in the Midwest.
“It tugs at you after awhile,” he said.
Berardi was hired as interim chief in September 2018 and indicated as recently as February that he was interested in staying long term, but he changed his mind when the permanent position opened.