The Select Board voted unanimously Thursday to appoint Assistant Police Chief Mark Hurley as the interim chief of the department, effective Aug. 26.
The appointment follows the resignation of Chief James MacIsaac, who announced earlier this month he would be taking a new position at The Middlesex School. His last day with Belmont will be Aug. 25.
Effective Aug. 26, subject to the terms of the contract agreed to Thursday morning, Hurley will earn a salary of $205,000.
“The amount we settled on…does a couple things,” said Select Board Chair Matt Taylor. “It acknowledges that Interim Chief Hurley would effectively be doing two jobs, [and] that he would be a critical piece to the transition while we work through the hiring process and beyond.”
Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne added that the board is grateful for Hurley’s willingness to step up.
“I do believe that Officer Hurley has some unique skills at a time when it is difficult to hire qualified chiefs,” she said. “We’re happy for [MacIsaac], but [his departure] was unexpected. … We’re very grateful Officer Hurley is going to step forward and help us during this transition time. It is absolutely, in my opinion, in the best interest of the town, both in the short and long term, to do this.”
MacIsaac’s announcement came one year into the three-year contract signed last year. The contract, which went into effect January 1, 2025, was set to expire Dec. 31, 2027. He earned an annual base pay of $225,000.
MacIsaac joined the department as a police officer in 1999. Over the years, he advanced through the ranks and was named chief in 2020.
On Thursday, the board also approved as amended a request for proposals (RFP) for a recruiter to conduct the search for a permanent police chief.
“This is just one of several steps that are part of the formal process of what will be a multi-month process for searching for, interviewing, and hiring a permanent police chief,” Taylor said. “This is the request for proposals. It will help us find a search firm to help with that.”
Town Administrator Patrice Garvin said the RFP will be sent out to a handful of firms. Over a two- to three-week period, proposals will start to come in.
“Then, we’ll work out having those consultants come in if they meet the minimum criteria that’s outlined in the RFP,” she told the Select Board. “We’ll bring those to you [the Select Board] so you can interview them. After you interview those prospective candidates, you’ll go through the evaluation criteria listed in the RFP, then score, then select.”
The search process will also include a screening committee, which will include a range of local stakeholders.
