Eliminating Veterans Agent's Residency Requirement Gets Initial OK

A first step towards filling the took place last Thursday night, when an aldermen's subcommittee recommended eliminating the residency requirement for that position, as requested by the city's Veterans Advisory Board.

The aldermen's Health, Education and Welfare Committee voted unanimously and with no debate to recommend eliminating the residency requirement.

Bob Driscoll, chairman of the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board, told the aldermen that the is the only position in the city that requires the employee to be a resident of Melrose.

"When we went to hire last time, I believe out of all the applications we received, we only received two from city residents," Driscoll said. "It makes it very difficult when you go out to hire to have that restraint on it. We on the Veterans Advisory Board discussed that and we just want the best candidate for job, regardless of city boundaries. We want the best qualified person to be there to help that veteran get services, get questions answered. We don’t want it to be the best person who happened to live in the city."

Natalee Webb, the previous Melrose Veterans Services Officer, —after having taken a leave of absence—due to medical issues that require ongoing treatment, Webb notified the city in a letter.

The full board of aldermen will likely vote on the proposal to eliminate the residency requirement at its next meeting, tenatively scheduled for Monday, June 20.