Williamstown Board of Health elects new chair, plans health inspector search interviews

WILLIAMSTOWN -- July 31, 2023, Williamstown Board of Health reorganizes, honors retiring inspector, and maps out coverage gap. The board unanimously elected acting chair Lynn Steubner as its new chair and a member identified as Ron Stant as vice chair at its July 31 meeting, the first reorganization since former chair Ruth Harrison stepped down at the end of June. With Chair Devan Bartels, MD, MPH absent, the five-member board heard from town administration that three candidates have been identified to replace retiring Health Inspector Jeffrey C. Kennedy, who has served since 1995, with internal interviews expected the third week of August and finalist interviews before the board to follow. In the interim, coverage will be provided through the Public Health Alliance and Berkshire Regional Planning, with routine Chapter 2 inspections paused, a reduced service level Steubner acknowledged openly, saying the alliance "has multiple communities to cover, as opposed to Jeffrey just handling Williamstown." The board closed by reading aloud a formal resolution, signed by all current members and former chair Ruth Emerson, commending Kennedy for nearly three decades of service.