Marshfield names acting fire chief. Who was tapped for the job

MARSHFIELD – A familiar face will serve as Marshfield’s acting fire chief after the town declined to renew Chief Jeffrey Simpson’s contract this month.

Former Fire Chief William Hocking will temporarily take over the department more than three years after his retirement, after a vote by two of the three select board members in a 10-minute Friday morning Zoom meeting. Chair Jim Kilcoyne was not present during the meeting.

“At this point, I believe we need to bring back a former chief, more than likely, to provide some seasoned leadership for the department and to assist the deputies on the day-to-day operations,” Town Administrator Michael Maresco said.

More: Marshfield's fire chief ousted. Union files labor complaint against select board

The other option presented to the select board members was to appoint one of the two deputy chiefs as acting chief, a capacity in which Deputy Chief Thomas Corbo had served prior to Simpson's hiring.

Hocking spent 34 years with the department before retiring in October 2020. He became chief in 2015 after another relationship between the fire chief and town became strained.

Then-Chief Kevin Robinson had been placed on administrative leave over potential ethics violations. He resigned “for the purposes of retirement” and later unsuccessfully sued the town over age discrimination.

Hocking worked with the town as a consultant after his retirement.

Earlier this month, the select board unanimously decided not to renew or extend Simpson’s contract. He joined the fire department in 2021, after spending a career with Norwell.

The select board on March 11 did not publicly detail more specific reasons as to why they did not want Simpson to continue on as chief, only referring to his leadership style, a “feeling of trustworthiness” and the department’s response to a recent storm. Board members also cited budget concerns and influence of the union.

The board alluded to the fact that there was more to the story, but, as board member Stephen Darcy put it, didn’t “want to sit here and air dirty laundry and be malicious.” The select board had held two executive sessions earlier this year over a complaint made against Simpson. It was not clear what was the nature of the complaint.

Simpson was not given the opportunity to speak during this meeting. Attempts by The Patriot Ledger to reach Simpson for comment have not been returned.

More: Why is Marshfield fire chief being let go? What the union says in its complaint

Marshfield Firefighters Local 2568 President Pat Daley refuted any insinuation that the union should be blamed for Simpson’s ouster and said the department responds to every call it gets.

Three days after that meeting, the union filed a labor complaint with the state over comments made by the select board during this discussion. The union felt alluding to its closeness with the chief could “indicate that the town hopes to exert control (over) the bargaining relationship between the union and the town moving forward.”

Simpson left the department March 19, Maresco announced Friday, more than one month before his three-year contract was set to end.

The department’s two deputy chiefs, Corbo and Michael Laselva, had temporarily led the department until Friday’s vote.

The more than 100 people who joined Friday's Zoom meeting were informed that it was a public meeting, not a public hearing, meaning "your voice will not be allowed to participate," Vice Chair Lynne Fidler said.

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Marshfield names former Chief William Hocking as acting fire chief