THOMASTON, Maine — The town of Thomaston has a new fire chief and a new deputy fire chief, after the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night confirmed the recommendations of Town Manager Valmore Blastow.
Mikial Mazzeo, who has served with the department since 1993, was promoted from deputy fire chief to fire chief. Jamie Leo, who has been with the department since 1988, was promoted from assistant fire chief to deputy fire chief.
The changes followed the May 1 retirement of longtime Fire Chief Michael Leo, Jamie Leo’s father. The elder Leo announced in March that he would be retiring because of health reasons.
“He is amazing, he is an unsung hero,” Blastow said in March of the retiring fire chief. “He has dedicated his life to Thomaston.”
The town manager said that Mazzeo and Jamie Leo are strong assets to the fire department and that the department will continue to be in good hands under their watch.
“I believe Thomaston is fortunate to have someone of his caliber leading the Thomaston Fire Department,” Blastow wrote of Mazzeo in a memo sent July 7 to the Board of Selectmen.
Jamie Leo, who was promoted to the position of assistant fire chief in 2004, also was singled out for praise.
“I believe his experience is invaluable to the Thomaston Fire Department,” Blastow wrote.
Also at the Tuesday night meeting, the selectmen confirmed the appointment of a new temporary town employee. Michelle Winchenbach of Waldoboro began working in the town office on June 22 and will fill in for Louise Demers, the town administrative secretary who is recuperating from injuries suffered in a mid-May accident. Demers was struck by a tractor-trailer while walking in the crosswalk near the municipal offices.
“It is the town’s intent to train [Winchenbach] so she will have the skills and knowledge to work in any town office in the state of Maine when Louise returns to work,” Blastow wrote in a memo to the Board of Selectmen. “This, I believe, is a win-win!”