BOURNE, MA—Fire Chief Norman Sylvester Jr. has announced for a second time that he will retire from his post.
Sylvester is expected to retire from the department at the end of January, according to a statement issued by Town Administrator Anthony Schiavi on Friday.
"Although it was difficult accepting the Chief's letter of intent to retire, the best leaders I have seen and worked with are the ones who know when the time is right both personally and for the organization to hand the reins to the next leader, whomever that might be," Schiavi wrote in the statement. "I am proud to include Chief Sylvester in that group."
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Schiavi said he is working on a plan to transition the department to new leadership in anticipation of Sylvester's departure next month.
In March, Sylvester first announced his plan to retire July 5. He cited an extremely difficult climate in the department as his reason for leaving.
But Sylvester changed his mind about retiring after members of the Professional Firefighters of Bourne, Local 1717 unanimously voted April 1 that they had no confidence in his leadership.
Raising concerns over safety and poor leadership, the union called upon the Board of Selectmen and the town administrator at the time, Thomas Guerino, to suspend the chief, according to a letter from the union that was received by the town April 22.
But Sylvester told the selectmen April 30 he had had a change of heart about retirement.
"I will not leave my career on this note," he said.
The Board of Selectmen voted in February 2015 to hire Sylvester, who previously served as a lieutenant in the Hyannis Fire Department. He has nearly 36 years of duty in the fire service, and his annual salary is $146,903, according to the 2018 town report.
During his tenure in Bourne, Sylvester helped to move the department headquarters to the Sagamore station, established the assistant fire chief position, realigned department personnel and sought resources for better response times and brought more technology into department operations to increase efficiency, the statement says.
Sylvester could not be reached for comment.
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