Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 3/2/2022
WILBRAHAM – The Wilbraham Board of Selectmen interviewed two candidates for police captain at the Feb. 28 meeting. Although the decision was close, Sgt. Jeffrey Rudinski was chosen to move up the ranks.
The board asked Rudinski and Sgt. Christopher Arventos the same handful of questions. When board Vice Chair Carolyn Brennan asked them what the role of a police captain was, Arventos described the position as a supervisor of the supervisors who can fill in for the chief if needed. Rudinski said the position is a buffer between the chief and the rest of the department and that a captain’s allegiance is to the town.
Both sergeants endorsed making connections with the community as positive as possible, but Rudinski touted his creation of the “popsicle patrol,” a youth-outreach program. He said of children, “They have to see through the uniform.” He also said he believed the role of police should be more “guardian” than “warrior.”
When it came to the future of the department, Rudinski advocated attracting and retaining officers. He said police should be trained in-house, rather than Wilbraham paying for them to go to the academy only to lose that officer to another department when the training is complete.
Arventos, on the other hand, said the department is heading in the right direction and described its reputation with other departments as “top-tier.”
Both individuals had experience with supervisory and administrative duties. Board Chair Robert Boilard said anyone who makes it far enough in the process to sit before the board is qualified and all three board members spoke about the difficulty of the decision.
Outgoing Chief Robert Zollo asked to comment. He said three things were important in a captain: experience, a personality that can work with others and being someone others will follow.
Brennan said experience matters and should be rewarded. With both people being qualified, she preferred Rudinski’s 22 years to Arventos’s 10 years. Board Clerk Theresa Goodrich agreed.
Boilard pointed to the number of calls and messages that he and the other board members received supporting Arventos. The chair said he liked Arventos’s personality better, but, in the end, the three unanimously voted for Rudinski.
Recreation Complex
The board approved a contract to be negotiated with SLR Architecture to design the recreation complex in town. Director of Parks and Recreation Brian Litz explained that the Building Committee put out a request for proposals for the project and five design firms responded. Of those, the committee ranked their top three choices as SLR Architecture, BL Companies and Berkshire Design. The committee will negotiate a contract with the company before the design process continues.