The new Garfield County Fire District chief is embracing the small town he now calls home and settling into his role after moving here from Massachusetts in August.
James Cleveland, 48, said his first month in the idyllic community is kind of a blur because he and his family contracted the coronavirus somewhere along their way to Pomeroy from the other side of the country.
“The first month doesn’t really count,” Cleveland said. “It was more than quarantining. I was really sick, but we all pulled through, so that’s good.”
He and his wife, Mariann, have four kids, ranging in age from 16 to 25. The youngest one is still at home.
“We love it here,” he said. “We’re used to the small-town atmosphere, and this community has been amazing. We bought a house, sight unseen, on Arlington Street. The house is quirky, and so is my family, so it fits us well.”