Council accepts firefighter retirement and swears in new deputy fire chief

Groton’s mayor and council accepted the retirement of Battalion Chief Chester (name appears with varying spellings in the record) and unanimously approved Resolution R-26-06-65 to appoint a deputy fire chief effective July 1, 2026. The council then administered the oath of office and the appointee delivered brief remarks thanking Mayor Jill Rusk, council members, Chief Robert Tomkins, department colleagues and family for their support.

Councilor McElroy introduced the retirement resolution at the start of the meeting; after brief public thanks from councilors the retirement resolution passed unanimously. Deputy Mayor Sheffield presented the subsequent appointment resolution and described the appointee’s background, including volunteer service at Eastern Point Station No. 2, prior promotional testing in 2017 and years of department training and leadership. The council approved the appointment without recorded opposition.

After being sworn in, the new deputy fire chief said he was “honored and humbled” by the appointment and recognized family members and neighboring departments who attended the ceremony. The mayor recessed the meeting briefly so colleagues and residents could congratulate the appointee.

Next steps: the appointment will be reflected in personnel records and the department’s staffing rosters; the council took no additional policy action during the ceremony.

Note on record inconsistencies: the published meeting transcript contains multiple spellings of the fire chief’s name (for example, “Kicki,” “Kiki,” and “Kaniki”). The council minutes record the personnel actions described above and the oath administered on the evening of June 22, 2026.