Appointments committee backs local inspector; considers assistant city clerk nomination

The Gardner City Council Appointments Committee on Jan. 29 recommended the confirmation of Scott Chapman as the city’s local inspector and considered the mayor’s nomination of James Kumar to be assistant city clerk.

The committee recommended Chapman’s appointment for a term expiring July 18, 2027, after members and department supervisors praised his work during a probationary period. The mayor and other presenters told the committee Chapman, a retired law-enforcement detective with prior construction experience, began performing inspector duties in August and has shown “a very thorough and firm and fair” approach in interactions with staff and the public.

The recommendation matters because state law requires the council to confirm certain department-level appointments, including the local inspector, before those officials’ appointments are final. The committee’s approval now moves the confirmation to the full City Council for final…