New Boston swears in Rick Rindeau as interim fire chief; board votes to seal public minutes for 10 years

The New Boston Board of Fire swore in Rick Rindeau as interim fire chief during a brief public ceremony on July 9, 2026, after returning from a short non-public session.

Chief Rick Rindeau took the oath of office and stated, "I will protect the lives, property and well‑being of the citizens of New Boston," pledging to uphold state law and support the members of the New Boston Fire Department. The presiding official announced the appointment as effective July 11, 2026.

The board opened the meeting at 6:02 p.m., recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and approved prior meeting minutes "as written." The chair had earlier requested a non-public session citing "91A3 comma 2 a b c personal and legal"; the transcript shows the board entered non-public business and later returned to the public portion for the swearing-in ceremony.

Before adjourning, the chair made a motion to seal the public minutes for 10 years; the motion was seconded and multiple members voiced assent. The transcript records members saying "Yes" or "Aye" in support; the meeting moved forward without any opposed votes recorded in the transcript.

The event was brief and primarily ceremonial: attendees gathered for photographs and the chair signed documents following the oath. The chair invited public comment at the close of the meeting; none was recorded in the transcript.

The board did not record detailed roll-call vote tallies or identify all individual voters by name in the portion of the transcript provided. The appointment is documented in the meeting record as effective 07/11/2026.