Chair outlines plan to hire full‑time municipal veterans affairs staffer, aims to have person in place by November

The Chair opened discussion of a newly budgeted, full‑time veterans affairs staff position and asked commissioners for input on duties and candidate qualifications. The Chair said the position will be housed in municipal offices and will coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services, and asked members to email recommendations for the job description.

The Chair described the desired profile for the hire and the role's intent: "the veteran affairs staffer, was recommended by myself and, also, the mayor agreed and, we included it in the budget," and added that the office will be located at 444 Westminster Street. The Chair said the job description is still under development and that the HHS director, Emily Freeman, and HR will be involved in finalizing posting and recruitment.

Commission members discussed timeline and logistics for posting and hiring; one committee member noted that much of the near‑term work will be drafting the job description and that the city hiring process for posting and selection is routine. The Chair said the goal is to have someone on board by Nov. 1 to help with Veterans Day activities and asked commissioners to submit candidate suggestions to the Chair and HHS in the next few weeks.

Next steps: commissioners were asked to provide written recommendations for qualifications or candidates; staff will coordinate with HHS and HR to prepare the job posting and timeline for recruitment.