Swampscott Town Meeting Will Consider Changes To Police, Fire

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — A union representing Swampscott firefighters is accusing Town Manager Sean Fitzgerald of "rushing" an article onto the warrant for the June 22 town meeting that would be the first step in exempting the police and fire departments from the Massachusetts civil service law.

If passed, Article 12 would allow the town to petition the state legislature to make the change. The Massachusetts civil service law, which was originally passed in 1884 to eliminate nepotism in government hiring, requires appointing authorities to select qualified applicants from civil service lists.

"Sean Fitzgerald, in an attempt to push through his proposal, has rushed a vote onto the town warrant," Swampscott Fire Fighters Union Local 1459 said in a note to residents. "We believe this is the first step in attempting to remove the entire departments from civil service."

Fitzgerald was not immediately available for comment Wednesday. Selectmen and the town finance committee will not give their recommendations on the article until town meeting, according to the Swampscott warrant report.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association has advocated either revising or eliminating civil service laws, saying they prevent towns from hiring the best candidates by narrowing the pool of potential hires to those who have taken the exam. Eliminating the laws would also, MMA said in a 2018 presentation, allow local governments to set criteria and priorities for hiring.