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Council confirms Brett Bennett as Lynn chief of inspectional services
Summary
The Lynn City Council voted to confirm Brett Bennett, a Lynn native and current building commissioner in Redding, as the city's new chief of inspectional services following a unanimous personnel subcommittee recommendation.
The Lynn City Council on March 11 confirmed Brett Bennett as the city's chief of inspectional services, following a unanimous recommendation from a personnel subcommittee that reviewed his candidacy.
The appointment moved forward after a personnel subcommittee hearing where Drew Russo, the city's personnel director, described a recruitment led with assistance from the Collins Center at UMass Boston and said Bennett was the mayor's pick. "The mayor's designate to serve as ISD chief is Brett Bennett," Russo said, noting the position had been posted at the end of 2024 and the Collins Center helped narrow candidates.
Bennett, introduced to the committee as the building commissioner in the town of Redding and a lifelong Lynn resident, told the council he was "very excited to be here" and described returning to Lynn as "something that I've always looked forward to." He answered questions from councillors about supervision, discipline, recruitment of inspectors and staffing, and said he would emphasize electronic permitting, employee and stakeholder surveys, and prioritized work on school buildings.
The personnel subcommittee voted to recommend Bennett's nomination to the Council of the Whole; Councillor Field made the motion, Councillor Hogan seconded it, and the subcommittee recorded a unanimous recommendation. At the full council meeting later the same evening, councilors moved and seconded confirmation; the roll call recorded unanimous support and Bennett's appointment was confirmed effective April 7, 2025, per the mayor's letter to the council.
Committee members pressed Bennett on inspector recruitment and licensing. He said municipalities often recruit candidates who are not yet licensed and support them through the licensing process, noting a 12-month state grace period for some certifications. On retention, Bennett said he views the post as "where I want to be," cited family considerations and long-term residence in Lynn, and said he intends to focus on staff engagement and departmental modernization.
The council also heard process questions about the recruitment: Russo said the city contracted the Collins Center, engaged a candidate pool of six, interviewed three and narrowed to two finalists before mayoral and CFO interviews. The city paid the Collins Center roughly $4,000 for its assistance, Russo said. Councilors noted the candidate's prior Lynn service and expressed support for hiring a local resident.
Bennett thanked the mayor's office, the personnel department and the council subcommittee and said he looked forward to taking on the position.
The council action concludes the formal appointment process described in the mayor's March 11 communication to the council and sends Bennett to work as chief of inspectional services starting April 7, 2025.
