Fredonia Village Clerk Richard St. George, left, speaks with Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis during Monday’s village board meeting.

The process is about to begin for the hiring of Fredonia’s first-ever fire chief.

After Monday’s special meeting, Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis explained that Mark C. Butler, an attorney out of Williamsville, was hired at the previous meeting and is outlining the needs of the new position.

“He will help us put together this position with the responsibilities and whatever else is there,” Mayor Landis said. “After we do that and it’s been approved for that position, then we go to the next step to find people.”

When it comes to the preliminary search for a candidate, Landis stated the focus on a local resident. Then again, if the new chief wasn’t local, they would have to be.

“I would prefer local, and I am not saying they will be from the Fredonia Fire Department,” Landis said. “But we also prefer local, especially, because according to our code, any chief of any department has to live in Fredonia. If he’s not local, he has to move.”

See FIRE CHIEF, Page A6

The OBSERVER previously reported that the budget allowed the creation of this position due to the change in the fire department’s lieutenant. The Fredonia Fire Department has an enrollment of more than 100 volunteers and nine paid fire fighters. Also, Butler, the attorney, will not exceed the cost of $3,500 for his work.

The hiring/interviewing process is hoped to begin by the first meeting of October.

Twitter: @Kuczkowski95