Harwich Loses Another Building Inspector

HARWICH – A new search is underway for a building commissioner after Randy Spears, hired for the job earlier this fall, parted ways with the town. 

The select board affirmed the appointment of Spears Aug. 19 after it was put forward by Town Administrator Joseph Powers. Spears was residing in Florida at the time, and as part of the agreement was to start working remotely for the town on Sept. 23 while he made arrangements to relocate. He was scheduled to begin working in town hall as of Oct. 18.

However, on Oct. 23 the town issued a new public notice announcing an opening for a building commissioner. A statement on social media claimed that Spears and Powers had a “dust-up” over the new commissioner’s unannounced visit to the building department to introduce himself to the staff, and Select Board member Donald Howell said Powers confirmed to him that there was an argument between Spears and himself.

Powers did not respond to an email or a phone call seeking confirmation and comment for this story. Efforts to reach Spears in Florida were also unsuccessful.

Select Board Chair Julie Kavanagh said Spears decided not to leave Florida for the Harwich position.

“We haven’t been informed of any of this, even that the guy is not coming,” Howell said on Tuesday. “Nothing has been said on the record.” 

What is clear is the difficulty Harwich has had keeping building commissioners. Spears was hired to replace building commissioner Jack Mee, who was hired in 2022 and retired in early July. Before that the town had a series of short-term building commissioners over the past several years. Commissioner Raymond Chesley left abruptly in July of 2021. It took six months to locate a new building commissioner in Robert Piccirilli, who remained on the job for only six months.

“Randy has the requisite experience and background to keep the positive momentum in the building department going,” Powers wrote in a memo to the select board when seeking the board’s affirmation of Spears. “I am confident  he will make an immediate, positive impact in this role and will be an integral part of our team going forward.”      

Spears had worked the past two years for SAFEbuilt, a community development and community infrastructure services company founded to support local communities and developers, according to his LinkedIn post. He also worked for four years as a building inspector in Hillsborough County, Fla., and he owned a construction company and consulting group, according to his profile.

Spears was a building inspector for more than seven years and was confirmed by the Commonwealth’s Board of Building Regulations as exceeding the qualifications for building commissioner, according to Power’s appointment memo. Once here, Spears was expected to take the necessary examinations to finalize his Massachusetts certification.

The issue came up at the Oct. 30 select board meeting. The discussion centered on whether permits were necessary for the Robert B. Our Company to establish a temporary construction staging area at 1 Auston Rd. for the $40 million sewering project getting underway in East Harwich. The building commissioner is responsible for interpreting the town’s zoning regulations and should be making that decision, board members said.

Questions were raised about whether the town had a building commissioner. Powers responded the town has had a building commissioner over the past three years.

“Nowhere were we bereft of a building commissioner,” said Powers.

“I don’t know the exact status of the building commissioner, but when we need something, it gets done,” Select Board member Jeffrey Handler said on Monday. “But I don’t know who the building commissioner is.” 

Kavanagh said Thomas Wingard, a former building commissioner in Eastham and Truro, has been acting as a part-time commissioner in Harwich when necessary since Chesley left the position. Kavanagh said it is difficult to attract employees to relocate here because of the housing situation.