Nearly exactly two years after Alan Quimby resigned as Chichester’s fire chief — citing an “apparent hostile work environment” between his department and the Board of Selectmen — his successor, Tim Robinson, has handed in his notice.
“We have someone covering right now,” said Selectman Carrianne Wood. “When we meet again, we’re going to talk about what the next step is.”
Robinson resigned on Wednesday, Aug. 19, per Wood. He joined the town as fire chief in November 2024.
He did not answer the Monitor’s request for comment.
His departure follows that of town administrator Cynthia Starkweather in late May. She was with the town from the fall through the spring and, in that time, handed in her resignation once before in January, although she ultimately continued in her role.
The Board of Selectmen did not replace Starkweather, Wood said. Rather, town hall has continued to operate with its two administrative assistants “and seeing how that goes.”
Municipal salaries and the function of a Chichester town administrator have been front and center as discussion points at meetings over the past two years.
Longtime town administrator Jodi Pinard resigned in December 2024 and was rehired in February 2025 with an annual salary of $120,000, marking a $31,000 increase from what she earned 10 weeks prior in the same role.
Later that winter at the town’s annual meeting, voters chose to zero out the executive section of the proposed budget, effectively eliminating the town administrator and administrative assistant positions. The town attorney warned that this decision could not only prevent the town from hiring replacements but also hamper town hall operations, such as payroll.
A few weeks later, however, residents vote to restore most of the money to the budget with the exception of $35,000 at a continuation of town meeting.
Pinard left her role for good in July of last year, with interim administrator Charles Smith filling the role for less than a month before leaving for another position before Starkweather joined in the fall.
