On administrative leave since May 24, Lynnfield Fire Chief Thomas Bogart said he's retiring effective Monday.
The Board of Selectmen on June 25 called an emergency meeting to appoint two longtime Lynnfield call firefighting captains to the positions of interim chief and deputy chief. Captain F. Joseph Lingel was named interim chief and Captain Glenn Davis was named to the interim deputy position.
At that time, Bogart was also taken off administrative leave and has been on vacation since.
John Walsh will remain assistant chief.
Neither Bogart nor Bob Curtin, assistant to the administration, would provide additional details about the circumstances of his leaving. Town Administrator Bill Gustus was on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
‘This is by mutual agreement.’
“This is by mutual agreement,” said Bogart. “There was no wrongdoing, and I plan to pursue other opportunities as they present themselves.”
Board of Selectman chairman Bob MacKendrick had no comment, citing the confidential nature of personnel matters.
He did say that rumors about illegal activity, including website postings, were “absolutely false.”
“I want to set the record straight, because I think that’s unfair,” he said.
Bogart, 58, has been the town's fire chief since July 2010.
The Lynnfield resident became a call firefighter in Lynnfield in 1999, and a lieutenant in 2004. He served on the City of Lynn Fire Department for 27 years, and was a lieutenant when he took the Lynnfield job. He also served in the Navy and had previous worked for the city of Lynn, which he said would count toward the 32 years in government required for municipal employees to collect a full pension.
Bogart has been a staff instructor at the Massachusetts Fire Fighting Academy for 22 years, and works as an adjunct faculty member at three Massachusetts colleges.
“I have a lot of irons in the fire and will consider all opportunities,” Bogart said.
Bogart succeeded Paul Romano as Lynnfield's fire chief, although Deputy Fire Chief Francis Lennon, now retired, served as interim chief for a year before the appointment.