Douglas Board Fills Six Appointments, Approves $168,000 Housing Loan Refinancing

DOUGLAS -- June 16, 2026, Douglas Board of Selectmen fills six board seats and signals new fire chief at June meeting. The board voted unanimously on all actions at its June 16 session, appointing Eric Bolin as building commissioner effective July 1, at a salary above the personnel bylaw baseline, requiring board ratification, along with Marcy LeBlanc as a Conservation Commission alternate, Sarah Gaiman to the final seat on the newly formed ADA Commission, and three founding members of the Agricultural Commission: David Skavicki (three-year term), Autumn Lombardi (two-year term), and Angela Laughlin (three-year term). The board approved a Local Initiative Program refinancing for a Compass Point affordable housing resident capped at $168,000, and adopted the revised ambulance billing and collection policy on its third reading. Town Administrator Matt Dallas announced plans to appoint Deputy Fire Chief Kelly Manning to succeed retiring Chief John Verno, calling her "one of the most highly qualified firefighter-paramedics anywhere in central Massachusetts," with Verno's sendoff set for June 25 at 2 p.m. from the fire station. The board deferred Council on Aging and Zoning Board of Appeals reappointments to June 30, citing office-coverage concerns and a legal question about self-appointment that town counsel's written opinion ultimately resolved in the affirmative.