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(September 2002) For as long as
I’ve lived in Kingston, Jon Alberghini has been Fire Chief. He’s
been a familiar face and a voice of reason through both calm and
tumultuous times in our town’s history.
Kingston Fire Chief, Jon Alberghini |
I first met Jon when I
was a fledgling reporter, probably sometime in 1978 or 1979. As a
novice to the news scene, I had a few lessons to learn (such as, it’s
not a good idea to call the fire station to find out ‘what’s up’
when you hear the horn blast, because they’re probably a little
too busy with more pressing matters). Jon graciously overlooked
those early blunders and always made time to keep us up to date on
what was going on. If he was in the midst of a crisis, it wasn’t
uncommon for him to drop by the office later on to talk with us and
make sure we had the information we needed.
I’ve always believed
Jon to be an exceptional public servant, someone who could probably
have been elected to any position in town he wanted had he chosen
that path of career service instead. However, we were fortunate to
have him fill the role of Fire Chief, where he has exemplified the
best of what living in a small town is like. You might reasonably
expect to see Jon helping battle a blaze, and in the same day appear
before voters at Town Meeting to explain why the town needed a new
fire station. And he and Ruth have always been very visible and
supportive of town functions, from the Kingston 275th series to the
Luminary events and a number of activities in between.
As an aside, both
Susan and I spent more than a few hours at selectmen’s meetings
over the years "in the line of duty” and used to enjoy our
conversations with Jon’s dad, Al Alberghini, a real gentleman and
a ‘regular’ at the Tuesday night meetings.
Chief Alberghini has
always been a visible, outgoing leader, known for his candor,
even-keeled nature, and a down-to-earth style of leadership, and
someone who has enjoyed a remarkable relationship with his fellow
Kingstonians.
A few times over the
years, I’ve met Fire Chiefs from different communities throughout
New England. When they learned what town I was from, they would
invariably reference Jon in the same way. "Great guy.”
And while you might
not find this particular benchmark in any of the "how to succeed
as a town official” books, one way to gauge the effectiveness of
someone’s leadership is to watch how he (or she) fares when asking
taxpayers for additional funds at town meetings.
Anyone who has ever
done it knows that facing a town meeting crowd can be a daunting
experience. What may seem like a reasonable, logical, well-thought
out idea can be unraveled by one voter who doesn’t agree. Jon
always presented his requests thoughtfully and carefully, fielded
questions and comments professionally, and treated each citizen with
respect and dignity.
There haven’t been
too many times that a request of Jon’s was rejected by voters.
Whether it was a brush truck, some new equipment, or a fire station,
people followed Jon’s recommendations, because they believed in
him; they knew he didn’t make requests lightly. If he asked for
it, the department – and the town – needed it.
The town has been very
fortunate in its Fire Department leadership. Prior to John’s
arrival on the scene, it was Wally Holmes, another highly-respected
Kingstonian, at the helm. And, as Jon retires, Dave McKee will
continue the strong and stable leadership that has defined our Fire
Department for so long. During Jon’s watch, the department has
changed and grown to meet the needs of residents. The old station on
Maple Street has given way to a new, state-of-the-art facility on
Pembroke Street and a smaller station on Smith’s Lane to see that
all of the town has the protection it deserves.
Jon has been a great
Fire Chief. His efforts have helped make Kingston a safer place, and
have given us a Fire Department that is second to none. Without
question, he has earned his retirement, but he’ll be missed just
the same. Let’s hope that he will remain an active, visible
presence in our town for many, many years to come.
Thank you, Chief, for
all you’ve done for Kingston. Here’s hoping that you and Ruth
and family enjoy many happy and fun years in this new chapter of
your lives.
Read related story: Kingston
Honors Alberghini |
