Michael Pardue, the founder and president of management consulting firm Central Intelligence of Kennebunk, will be taking over the duties of fire chief for a six- to 12-month period, Mayor Colleen Hilton said Wednesday.

The interim chief of the Westbrook Fire Department was introduced by Mayor Colleen Hilton at a press conference Wednesday.

Michael Pardue, the founder and president of management consulting firm Central Intelligence of Kennebunk, will be taking over the duties of fire chief for a six- to 12-month period, Hilton said Wednesday.

Sandra Hillsgrove will act as deputy chief. She is a consultant with Municipal Resources Inc., of Meredith, N.H., which the city also hired. Pardue and Hillsgrove will be moving into the public safety building offices next week to take over the positions.

Police Chief Bill Baker has been overseeing the fire department since January, when Hilton announced at her inauguration she was not reappointing Daniel Brock, who had been fire chief for a year. Hilton also laid off Deputy Fire Chief Thaddeus Soltys in January.

“This is really an important day for Westbrook,” Hilton said at the press conference. “It’s time to move forward.”

The fire department has been plagued by sexual harassment claims for decades. Two female firefighters have been on paid leave for more than a year due to what they described as a hostile work environment, and several members of the department have been punished due to their inappropriate behavior.

Hilton made clear in her campaign and inaugural address that cleaning up the department and setting it in a new direction would be a priority for her as the new mayor of Westbrook. She also announced in January that she would be hiring an outside management firm to run the department for a transition period before trying to hire a new chief permanently again.

“We have been laboring for the past few weeks,” Hilton said about finding the right company to run with the department.

Because of their specific areas of expertise, she said, the city decided to divide the administrative duties between two companies.

Hilton said Pardue “brings just a tremendous wealth of municipal and public safety leadership experience.”

A former chief of police and town manager in Ogunquit, Pardue has provided consulting and interim management services in numerous towns in New Hampshire and Maine, including Kennebunk, Richmond and Monmouth.

In Westbrook, Pardue will oversee all matters regarding personnel, scheduling, payroll and budgeting for the fire department.

Pardue said Wednesday he’s not daunted by the task of working with the troubled department, but is “highly enthused and highly motivated” by the opportunity.

Central Intelligence will be paid at a rate of $70 per hour for Pardue’s services. He expects to work 40 hours per week.

Alan Gould, operations manager of Municipal Resources, said Hillsgrove, who couldn’t attend the press conference, will work about two days per week. She’ll be focusing on coordinating equipment maintenance, training, recruitment and hiring, as well as supporting Pardue by managing the flow of paperwork. Her work will cost the city $450 per day.

Hillsgrove was the deputy fire chief in Concord, N.H., where she served in the 115-member department for 20 years. She’s been a sexual harassment prevention instructor, and, as a consultant, she helped the fire department in Dover, N.H., prepare for the integration of female firefighters.

Hilton said the interim administrators represent a “high level of expertise and management and a broad array of experiences.”

While Pardue’s strength is in leadership, Hillsgrove’s experience lies in fire ground control and administration.

“We’re confident in who we selected,” Hilton said.

Kennebunk Town Manager Barry Tibbetts, who used both firms as consultants for his public safety departments, had “a lot of praise” for the companies and their work.

Tibbetts said Pardue, who took over as police chief in Kennebunk, “knows his stuff” and “is not afraid to call it what it is.”

Tibbetts said he didn’t have any egregious problems with his police officers, but just wanted to improve the service they provided.

“He totally transformed our police department,” he said of Pardue.

Municipal Resources conducted a review and made recommendations for the Kennebunk Fire Department. Tibbetts called it a “fabulous success.”

“Clearly morale is up and that’s a huge savings to the community in dollars,” he said.

In addition, Tibbetts said, communication and attitudes within the departments vastly improved following the work of the firms.

“I think Westbrook’s going to come out way ahead from this,” he said.

Following the completion of the firms’ work, Hilton said, she couldn’t say yet if or when the city would hire a new chief.

“We’re taking one step at a time,” she said.

Hilton said the city doesn’t have a “time-specific end date” for the work, but estimated it would take from six to 12 months.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said the services of the two firms would cost the city about $50,000 to $55,000 through the end of the fiscal year in June. He said the costs should be covered by the wages and benefits budgeted for the chief and deputy chief.

The City Council gave preliminary approval to hiring the two companies at a council meeting Monday. Bryant said it will vote to give final approval at the next meeting, which will be on either March 22 or April 5.

Police Chief Bill Baker, left, who has been overseeing the Westbrook Fire Department, speaks at a press conference Wednesday introducing new interim fire chief Michael Pardue, center, and Alan Gould, an official with Municipal Resources Inc., which the city hired to provide a deputy fire chief. (Staff photo by Leslie Bridgers)
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