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Date: 10/29/2015
EAST LONGMEADOW – The Board of Selectmen recently hired Aimee Petrosky as the town’s full-time health agent after having six individuals serve in the position in a part-time capacity during the past year and a half.
All three selectmen ranked Petrosky the highest among four candidates vetted for the position during the board’s Oct. 20 meeting.
Board of Selectmen Chair Paul Federici said at the beginning of Petrosky’s interview that she was the first person to fill the part-time health agent position, bud that did not influence the board’s decision.
“I’ve been a health agent before and worked for the town of East Longmeadow and both of those were things that I enjoyed,” Petrosky said. “I only left the town because it was a part-time position and again, it was much lower in salary than I had been previously making … When I heard that a full-time, fairly compensated position, was opening up I was very interested.”
Selectman William Gorman asked Petrosky if she was able to accomplish what was necessary of the position working part-time for 10 hours per week.
“There was no way that I could accurately do the job and do the job well for 10 hours a week,” she responded.
Federici said one of the main reasons the board sought to make the position full-time was because part-time health agents have not been able to perform the job requirements.
Residents approved the $54.2 million fiscal year 2016 budget during the 2015 Annual Town Meeting, which included the salary for a full-time health agent.
“We haven’t been able to be proactive because we haven’t had anyone here with enough time to actually go out and inspect the schools and inspect the restaurants and that on a regular basis,” Federici said. “It’s more or less catching up with the problems that we have been [seeing].”
Petrosky, a graduate of Smith College, said she was previously employed as a health agent for Northampton as well as an acting health director. She also served as the environmental food safety coordinator at Szawaloski Potato Farms in Hatfield and a consultant for the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.
Selectman Angela Thorpe asked Petrosky about her levels of certifications and training relevant to the position.
Petrosky stated that she has certified professional and food safety recognition, a soil evaluator license, a septic system agent license from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and a certification in safe quality foods and evaluations.
She added that she also has a background in social work, which is often beneficial to calm tensions during inspections.
“For me, the key is the help people feel heard because they’re running a business – this is their livelihood, this is how they feed their families – and it becomes emotional other than the technical part of the food safety,” she noted. “If you can help meet them on that emotional level … most of the time it is able to deescalate.”
Petrosky said her key strengths include having a broad background in the health inspection field, from municipal to corporate work.
“I think one of the strengths I bring is just a really large picture of what the job should be – what it’s intended to do – and how to do it efficiently and effectively,” she added.
She noted that she has been in many positions where she has been on call and would be available for night meetings as long as she has advance notice.
Petrosky said she could begin working in the town with two to three weeks, but would be available to learn more about the job from the current part-time health agent prior to starting in the town.