Hopkinton Fire Chief Gets Praise, Good Review

Hopkinton Fire Chief Ken Clark received a good review from the town's Board of Selectmen Tuesday, and praise for his steadfast nature, experience and ability to handle crises.

His official rating was "above satisfactory," and was kicked up a notch after an initial recommendation of "satisfactory" didn't seem to be enough, said selectmen. They voted unanimously to increase the rating, first suggested by member Michelle Gates.

Clark, chief for the past several years, was evaluated publicly on four goals. They included efforts to train the department members, establishing a performance metric system for the department employees and increasing civic engagement and community education.

He admitted he found the new process of the public evaluation nerve-wracking. Standing before the board, in front of a community television camera, he said: "I'd rather be crawling down a burning hallway."

Clark oversees a department of 25 full-time firefighters, not including the call department. His contract is currently under negotiation. Selectmen met in closed session Tuesday to discuss his contract, but did not take a public vote.