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Committee reviews mayor's nomination for Gardner veteran services director; staffing changes discussed
Summary
The appointments committee heard Mayor Nicholson's nomination of Corey Hasselman for director of veteran services, discussed the office's regional role and staffing, and heard that the assistant director position is posted after Nolan Buck's resignation to take a role at Fitchburg State University.
The Gardner City Appointments Committee on March 12 heard Mayor Nicholson's nomination of Corey Hasselman to the veteran services director position and discussed the office's regional responsibilities and staffing needs.
Mayor Nicholson said Hasselman has served in the role for about a year and praised his commitment to the city's veterans population and his work after the previous director left for a state position. The mayor noted a December administrative ordinance change that moved department-head appointments from one-year terms to three-year terms; that change affects this appointment and is why a three-year term appears on the paperwork.
Corey Hasselman introduced himself and described his work with veterans, saying, "When I'm working with that veteran, they are the only person that matters at that point in time." He said his office connects veterans with Chapter 115 state assistance, VA benefits and other resources; he also described peer-support and suicide-prevention training he has taken part in and his nonprofit work in veterans' mental health.
Committee members asked about staffing. Hasselman said his assistant director, Nolan Buck, is leaving this week to become director of veteran services at Fitchburg State University and that the assistant director position is posted and requires veteran status. He also named financial administrator Tab Adams, who handles warrants and monthly Chapter 115 payments. Mayor Nicholson and committee members praised the office's regional role and said the Gardner office's staffing and performance enable the city to serve neighboring communities.
The transcript does not record a roll-call vote on the nomination during the meeting; the item was on the agenda for confirmation and was discussed in committee. The committee subsequently moved to reschedule several other items on the agenda for more time because write-ups had not been provided in advance.
Background: The veteran services director position is subject to a December administrative ordinance change extending department-head appointments to three years; the veterans office also has minimum staffing requirements set by state law, which the mayor referenced in describing the office's caseload and staffing structure.
