Six department heads are fired in the first meeting under a new, Republican majority.

10:55 AM EST on Friday, December 10, 2004

BY CATHLEEN F. CROWLEY
Journal Staff Writer

Foster’s new, Republican-dominated Town Council took office yesterday and fired six department heads in its first 20 minutes.

With the old council watching in shock, the three Republican councilors fired Police Chief Donald “Ducky” E. Kettelle, Tax Collector Nancy Delaere, Director of Public Works Bradford Gove, Town Planner William DiLibero, Recreation Director Michael Polouski and City Solicitor Robert Craven. The council’s two Democrats refused to take the oath of office in protest.

“It was a meeting that was out of this world,” said Town Councilman Harold Shippee, a Democrat who was reelected to his seat. “They just slaughtered everyone. I turned to somebody and said I thought we lived in the United States, not Cuba.”

Shippee said that when he and fellow Democrat Colette Matarese arrived at the meeting, the three Republicans were already seated.

“Colette and myself weren’t even sworn in yet. They got sworn in this [Thursday] morning by Brad Gorham,’’ the former chairman of the state Republican Party, Shippee said. Gorham is a notary public, and any notary public can swear in the candidates, said town clerk Anne Irons.

The councilors appointed Gorham as the new town solicitor.

Republican Heidi Rogers, president of the council, could not be reached last night.

Republican Town Councilman Ralph Berkowitz said nobody was fired.

‘‘They just weren’t reappointed,’’ Berkowitz said. ‘‘They sit at the pleasure of the council and we decided to put our people in. Not our people, we decided to put different people that we felt were good for the job.’’

Berkowitz, who was reached at home at midnight, declined to comment further and said he would rather discuss the council’s actions in the morning. Shippee said Rogers, Berkowitz and Republican Steven Bellucci transformed the town’s leadership structure in 20 minutes.

“It’s a disaster for this town what they did tonight,’’ Shippee said. “They have a grudge. They are not looking out for the town of Foster. They are looking out for themselves. They want the power and they got the power. It’s a sad day.”

The new council appointed police Sgt. Michael Gawel to replace Kettelle; Pamela Fontaine, a member of the town Republican committee, will be tax collector, a position she has held before; Walter May, a member of the town Republican committee, was appointed as public works director, a position he has also held before; Richard Grant, who had once served on the Planning Board, will be town planner; David Costa was appointed as recreation director; Robert Davignon, who sat as the town’s probate judge for many years, will return to the position. Davignon replaces Probate Judge John Bevilacqua.

Shippee, who was sworn in along with Matarese later in the evening, was particularly upset about the police chief’s firing.

Kettelle has led the Foster Police Department for 12 years. Before that, he was a Rhode Island state trooper for 25 years. Shippee said Kettelle worked holidays so his officers could be with their families; and he visited the elderly and worked long hours.

“People loved him up here,’’ he said.

Shippee said none of the town officials who were fired last night had any idea they would be let go.

“It’s rotten,’’ he said.