Mayor Daryl Finizio has named Battalion Chief Henry Kydd to serve as the deputy chief of the .
Kydd, a 33-year veteran of the department, will be formally sworn in at a ceremony at the New London Fire Department Headquarters at 3 p.m. on March 30. Finizio said Kydd the named Kydd as their top-rated applicant for the post.
“With the impending retirement of Fire Chief [Ron] Samul, I believe the city is fortunate to have Henry Kydd serving the department in this critical role during this time of transition,” Finizio said. “Henry Kydd is a consummate professional and I look forward to working with him in this new capacity.”
“I want to thank the Mayor for this opportunity to serve the department that I love,” Kydd said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the City Council as well as the director of development and planning and an increased salary for the mayor's office administrator and principal secretary. The deputy fire chief position has been vacant until now and has an $87,500 annual wage.
Finizio said the new positions could be funded by line item transfers, including payroll funds available in the fire department's budget due to recent resignations. The request passed the Finance Committee, but encountered more resistance following the announcement that the city was facing a . The request for funding the positions passed the council 4-3 on its and readings and .
The deputy fire chief position has been one requested by the fire department for several years, but it has repeatedly been rejected during municipal budget discussions. Last year, the Finance Committee turned down a request to establish the position with a $120,200 salary.
Samul, who has been with the department since 1970 and chief since 1986, plans to retire on April 1, 2013. Finizio previously argued that a deputy fire chief is needed to help prepare for OpSail 2012 as well as to oversee day-to-day operations during the selection process for a new chief.
Correction: Kydd's swearing in will take place at 3 p.m. on March 30. The article initially reported that the swearing in would take place on March 23.
