Seekonk: The Year in Review

2023 featured leadership changes for the town’s Public Safety Departments and the Seekonk Public Schools.

Last January, the Board of Selectmen voted to terminate Police Chief Dean Isabella’s employment contract, which still had nearly a year remaining. Isabella was hired in December 2020. Prior to Isabella’s termination, Town Administrator Shawn Cadime said the police department needed to undergo a “directional shift.” Isabella later filed a lawsuit against the Town of Seekonk and the Board of Selectmen for breach of contract.

David Enos, who had served as Deputy Chief for the department, was appointed on February 1 to replace Isabella. “Over the years you have faced many challenges and always found a way to set an example no matter what the circumstances,” Select Board Chair Michael Healy said at Enos’ installation ceremony.

The Police Department mourned the loss of Patrolwoman Kourtny DeForitis, who died following a motorcycle crash in September. DeForitis, a Taunton resident, was 28 years old.  Enos expressed his gratitude to the Community, Town Administration, Town Departments, and local Police Departments for “the outpouring of support towards Kourtny’s Family and this Police Department.”

Michelle Hines and Pamela Pozzi were elected to the Board of Selectmen in the April town election. Hines suggested the board be given a name which was gender-neutral. The town’s top officials were unofficially rebranded as the Select Board.

The Fire Department gained several new firefighters but lost its top official.

Chief Sandra Lowery announced her decision to retire next February. Lowery, who had previously served as Interim Chief, has been a member of the department for over 20 years. The Seekonk Select Board voted to appoint former Falmouth Fire Chief Michael Small as the town’s Interim Fire Chief.

Healy resigned from the Board on November 13 and criticized Small’s appointment. “We hire a Fire Chief (from outside Seekonk) when we have someone internally who could be the Interim Chief,” Healy said. “(The firefighter) wasn’t even considered for anything for personal reasons. I will no longer sit here and watch public safety be destroyed in the town of Seekonk.”

The Board agreed to launch a search for a permanent Fire Chief by looking for candidates within the Fire Department as well as outside the department. The vote was 3 to 1. Chris Zorra, Hines, and Justin Sullivan were in favor, with Pozzi in opposition.

The effort to construct a new fire station for the town’s south end failed when the Select Board voted against placing an article on the Fall Town Meeting warrant. Healy, Pozzi, and Sullivan all voted no, while Zorra and Hines voted in favor.

Voters at the May 2020 town meeting allocated $425,000 for the design of the facility at 69 School Street. The town owns that property. The 8300 square foot building was to feature three components, including dispatch, living quarters, and fire suppression. Board members cited a possible lack of personnel to occupy the new facility based on the current shortage of firefighters. “I don’t know if I can support an $11 million building when we’re having staffing issues (in the fire department),” said Zorra.

“For $11.2 million, that’s an awful lot of money to have an empty building,” Pozzi said, adding there were other building projects in the works, including a new Department of Public Works facility.

Rebecca Kidwell was appointed to replace outgoing School Superintendent Rich Drolet at the May 22 school committee meeting in a 3 to 2 vote. Chairperson Meaghan Mahoney, Vice-Chair Kim Sluter, and Emily Field were in favor, with Noah Escaler and Kyle Juckett in opposition. Kidwell had previously served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment & Professional Development of Rockland Public Schools.

New personnel in the central office included Ryan McGee, the district business administrator, and Trisha Leary, the director of technology and digital learning. 

Members of the Select Board, School Committee, and Finance Committee gathered September 20 for a discussion about the future of Seekonk Public Schools.

Colliers was hired to conducts a Conditions Assessment of all school facilities in the summer of 2022. The firm identified a need of $42.3 million including adjustments for inflation and additional projects.  “Seekonk is clearly a place where people want to live,” said Derek Osterman, the Director of Project Management Services for Colliers. “They want to go to school here, your test scores are very strong within the region and throughout the state.”

The town’s student population is expected to increase by a whopping 27 percent in the next 10 years, Osterman noted. Some committee members expressed skepticism about the projected enrollment figures. “These numbers should probably be taken with a grain of salt,” said Juckett, noting there were fewer enrollments at the elementary level than in past years.

Michael Brady, a member of the finance committee, said it would be “foolhardy” to let the schools “deteriorate.” “I’m not opposed to building a new (school) at a reasonable cost,” Brady continued. “I just want to make sure that when we ask (residents) for millions of dollars that we can justify their trust in us.”

The nation’s border crisis impacted Seekonk in October, when 40 migrant families were housed at the Ramada Inn on Route 44. “Currently, the migrant families are the responsibility of the State, and the Town is providing assistance as needed,” Cadime said. “The Board of Selectmen will take action when necessary, in line with their role and responsibility as outline by MGL and the Town Charter.”

Last August, Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts due to the influx of migrant families arriving in the Bay State. The governor has called on the federal government to act to address the issue in Massachusetts.