Essex Board of Selectmen Splits 2-1 on Finance Committee Appointment After Process Dispute

ESSEX -- June 23, 2025, Essex Board of Selectmen confirms Finance Committee appointment 2-1 amid process objections, advances fire staffing request. Board of Selectmen member Annie Cameron voted against confirming Ruth Perrine to the Finance Committee, arguing the committee abandoned the formal interview process it had adopted in March 2025, failed to notify previously interested candidate Brian Gressler that a seat had opened following Mark Renzi's resignation on June 18, and effectively made the appointment the same night the vacancy was created. Finance Committee Chair Jody Harris, appearing before the board, defended the selection, saying the committee had extensive familiarity with Perrine and that Gressler had been found "very positional" during prior interviews in a way the committee felt was incompatible with its advisory role. The appointment passed 2-1. Separately, Fire Chief Christian Hassel asked the board to begin the process of creating Essex's first full-time fire position, a firefighter-EMT-fire prevention officer at approximately $45 per hour against a current top rate of $32, citing two recent missed ambulance responses and an aging volunteer corps, with Town Administrator Brendan Egan outlining a path toward a November town meeting vote. The board also unanimously renewed the Essex Shipbuilding Museum and Historical Society's 10-year lease on the town-owned building at 28 Main Street, raising the annual rent from $100 to $200.