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Foster council swears in new members, elects officers and approves dozens of appointments
Summary
At its Dec. 5 organizational meeting, the Foster Town Council was sworn in, elected Steve Plouffe president and Heidi Rogers vice president, approved a $221,044.20 warrant and confirmed multiple departmental and board appointments, including a three-year contract for the DPW director.
The Foster Town Council convened its organizational meeting on Dec. 5, 2024, where newly elected members were sworn in, officers were chosen and a slate of departmental appointments and reappointments was approved.
The council approved warrant number 8 in the amount of $221,044.20 and elected Steve Plouffe as council president and Heidi Rogers as vice president. The council also confirmed several executive and departmental appointments, including Joanna Achilles as town solicitor and the reappointment of Nicole Carol Barnes as probate court judge.
In personnel actions, the council reappointed Kelly Russ as finance director and human resources director under a three-year contract, and after procedural adjustments voted to appoint Gordon Rogers as director of public works with a three-year contract. The meeting record also shows the appointment of Marissa So as director of social services, and the reappointment of Tammy Steinkamp as recreation director and Jamie Prasinski as emergency management (EMA) director; Gordon Rogers was named assistant EMA director.
Other departmental and administrative posts approved included Karen Williams as tax assessor and deputy finance director, Kathy Hadfield as tax collector and administrative assistant, and reappointments or confirmations for building and code positions: George Dumont (building and zoning), Jeff Lowe (plumbing inspector) and Michael Paolucci (electrical inspector). The council reappointed Mikaela Johnson as deputy town clerk and named a slate of constables consistent with past practice.
The council addressed boards and commissions, accepting the resignation of Mary Jo Creighton from the board of canvassers and appointing Judy Williams as a full member (term to March 2026) and Bart Hollingsworth as a one-year alternate (term to September 2025). The Juvenile Hearing Board reappointments included Thomas DeRaimo for a three-year term expiring September 2027 and a one-year alternate position for Mary Jo Creighton.
Under new business the council voted to cancel the Dec. 26, 2024 meeting (the day after Christmas) and set the regular meeting schedule as the second and fourth Thursdays of each month. The council also selected a two-person negotiation team to meet with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 3422 on renewal of the dispatchers’ contract; the motion nominated a councilor to serve with Chris Stone.
Outgoing members were recognized early in the meeting. One departing councilor, introduced during the farewell comments, said, "I love this town," and several thanked volunteers and staff for their service.
The meeting adjourned after the final motions; refreshments were noted to be available afterward.
Votes and formal motions recorded in the minutes include the consent agenda approval, the warrant approval, election of officers and the multiple appointments and reappointments listed above. Where individual roll-call tallies were not read into the record, this account reports outcomes as recorded in the meeting transcript (motion passed/approved).
