Tisbury selectmen appointed a new fire chief Tuesday with none of the formality that is customary when the town names a top public safety official.
Instead of standing up before the board of selectmen and town managers at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, with an audience of family, friends and uniformed personnel welcoming their new top brass, assistant fire chief Greg Leland joined a Hollywood Squares grid of pixelated faces on a videoconference screen to be voted into his new position.
“It stinks that we’re doing this like this,” said selectman Jim Rogers, himself a former town assistant fire chief.
“There will be more fanfare to come,” promised board chairman Melinda Loberg.
When he takes over the department July 1, Mr. Leland will be just the 10th Tisbury fire chief since 1895, retiring chief John Schilling said.
“To put that in perspective, in my 18 years we’ve had five police chiefs,” said Mr. Schilling, who reaches retirement age next month.
“He has the support of the men and members of the department,” Mr. Schilling said of Mr. Leland. “I am very pleased to turn the keys over to him on June 30.”
Mr. Leland’s appointment is for three years, town administrator Jay Grande said.
In other business Tuesday, selectmen agreed to issue common victualer’s licenses to Salvatore Della Torre and Dusan Veselinovic’s planned Italian restaurant on Union street and to Wolf’s Den Pizzeria on Beach Road and to transfer the licenses of Main Street eateries Bobby B’s and Bernie’s Ice Cream to All Things Delish, owned by Elio Silva.
Mr. Silva, who is also the longtime owner of Vineyard Grocer on State Road, said he plans to offer fresh breads and streamline the selection of ice cream flavors at the side-by-side businesses.
“We will be adding the bakery on the Bobby B’s side,” Mr. Silva said.
He also will be carrying breads from Maison de Villatte. “You can’t resist it,” he said of the Falmouth bakery.
“Right now we are carrying Cape Cod bagels as well,” Mr. Silva added.
From the 38 ice cream flavors at Bernie’s, Mr. Silva said he will offer 20 on a regular basis with rotating weekly flavors, depending on customer demand.
Eventually, Mr. Silva told selectmen, he will wrap both businesses into a single operation called All Things Delish.
Mr. Silva is also applying for a common victualer’s license for the prepared food operation at Vineyard Grocer, which has been operating without one.
Mr. Schilling argued against issuing the license until the business passes all required inspections.
“They have a substantial takeout business there, so this is a significant portion of their operation,” he told the board.
Selectmen will continue the Vineyard Grocer hearing next Tuesday at 4 p.m. Also on May 26, they will discuss regulations for food trucks.
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