Selectmen name Darin Devine as new veterans agent

In a unanimous vote, the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night appointed Darin Devine of Canton as the town’s new veterans agent, replacing longtime agent Tony Andreotti. All of the selectmen agreed that both finalists — Devine and Cynthia Shelton Harris — were outstanding candidates and it made for a difficult choice.

Ultimately, they felt that Devine’s knowledge of veterans’ affairs, combined with his knowledge of the town and the fact that he resides in Canton would make a difference.

Two weeks ago, selectmen interviewed both candidates after a screening committee narrowed a pool of six applicants down to two.

Although Devine is related to Andreotti, selectmen agreed that his resume stood on its own. Devine served in the military for 26 years, is a former air marshal, a former military intelligence office, and is working toward an MBA degree. He also has extensive experience working with the Veterans Administration on housing and business opportunities. Devine said in his interview that he would continue to support the honor and color guards made famous by Andreotti and would seek to bring on new, younger members.

Selectman John Connolly initially advocated for Harris, who serves as the Braintree veterans agent and as a part-time agent for the town of Millis. Connolly was impressed with her experience and felt that she could “hit the ground running,” noting it will take time for Devine to adapt to the position. Connolly abstained from the original vote and then opted instead to make the vote for Devine a unanimous one.

In other news from the October 29 meeting:

* After hearing a favorable report from Human Resources Director Jody Middleton, selectmen, in a 3-2 vote, opted to continue the new town hall hours of operation, including the 8 a.m. opening for most departments and 1 p.m. closing time on Fridays. The net effect is one additional operating hour …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Nov 1 2019. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.