Upcoming retirements mean major changes in the leadership of Haverhill’s public safety departments.
Two recruitment efforts are already underway in City Hall to replace Fire Chief William F. Laliberty and Deputy Police Chief Anthony L. Haugh. Both men retire this month after decades of service. Mayor James J. Fiorentini says he is also looking ahead to the retirement of Police Chief Alan R. DeNaro.
“DeNaro has already told us he is nearing retirement age. He is going to be retiring shortly so we want to have some continuity in the department,” he said.
As WHAV reported first last November, Laliberty is retiring after 34 years as a Haverhill firefighter and four and a half years as chief. Similarly, Haugh retires after serving on the police force 33 years—the last five as deputy.
Fiorentini told WHAV the most progress has been made on hiring a fire chief.
“We have some great applicants—both within the department and outside the department. We’ll be doing an assessment center within the next couple of weeks,” the mayor said.
The firefighters’ union has urged the new chief comes from within the existing ranks of the department. Tim Carroll, president of Haverhill Firefighters Local 1011, previously wrote, “We strongly believe there are worthy and qualified candidates within the Haverhill Fire Department who could easily fill this vacancy.”
Haverhill’s former interim Fire Chief John E. Parow. (Courtesy photograph.)
Haverhill’s former interim Fire Chief John E. Parow, who operates Parow Consulting and Associates, is overseeing the search. Parow, a former Chelmsford fire chief, filled in for six months following the unexpected death of Fire Chief Richard B. Borden in 2015.
“In the event we don’t have anyone permanent when he leaves, we will name an acting chief. I’m actively working on that with Chief Parow.”
The mayor said the city will also be using an outside consultant to recommend a replacement deputy police chief.
“Assessment center is more or less like a test. They have experts come in. They ask questions. They do written questions, oral questions,” he explained.
Fiorentini pledged to fill the vacancies using a process, he called, “open, transparent and, above all, fair.”