Falmouth Building Commissioner Retires After Five Years
After a five-year tenure, Falmouth Building Commissioner Rodman Palmer has retired.
“It was my long-term plan to be here five years and that was it,” Mr. Palmer said. “I have a small business that I want to focus on.…It’s a small construction business that I’ve had through my entire tenure as the building commissioner, for over 21 years. It’s something that I want to enjoy on a part-time basis. And I have a young family, I want to spend time with my son and daughter.”
Mr. Palmer, who lives in Carver, began as Falmouth’s building commissioner in July 2016, when he replaced Eladio Gore. He attributes much of the success of Falmouth’s building department over his five years to his attentive and supportive staff.
“The Falmouth Building Department has four cornerstones,” Mr. Palmer said. “There’s Pamela Marshall, she’s the office manager; there’s John Dickinson, the zoning agent; there’s William Sinclair, the electrical and safety inspector; and there’s Gilbert Bonoan, the building official and safety inspector. Those four people are absolutely amazing. There are others as well, but those particular four are the cornerstones of the building department.”
One of the biggest challenges for Mr. Palmer and the entire department has been the overwhelming number of permits coming through the door in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic did little to slow down construction and development in Falmouth and over time, the permits began to stack up at an alarming rate, something that was frustrating for both residents and the department.
“In wake of that volume, the town manager’s office worked steadfastly in acquiring online software; so it won’t be long, I expect, in the next few months there will be online permitting and that will help mitigate the volume of work and permits,” Mr. Palmer said. “Right now, everything comes in on hard copies, but in the future, it’ll all be online. And that’s just an example of the manager’s office, Julian Suso and Peter Johnson-Staub stepping up to the plate. The town manager’s office has also been extremely supportive of me for five years.”
Until a permanent replacement can be found, former building commissioner Eladio Gore is coming out of retirement to assist the building department and serve as an interim commissioner. Mr. Gore’s official first day was Monday, July 26.
“Eladio is probably the most experienced, proficient building commissioner on this side of the Cape Cod Canal,” Mr. Palmer said. “The Town of Falmouth and the building department are extremely fortunate to have Eladio come out of retirement to help them out on a full-time basis until such time that they can find a permanent replacement. Because of his experience in Falmouth and his proficiency, he will hit the ground running on his very first day. I think it will be a seamless transition.”
Although he is sad to be leaving Falmouth, Mr. Palmer said his favorite part about his career has been getting to know the town itself and its citizens.
“I’ve met some wonderful people and had interesting conversations with so many homeowners in the Town of Falmouth as building commissioner,” he said. “This profession as a building commissioner is a wonderful, rewarding profession and I would recommend it to anyone who has thoughts of exploring it. It’s been a wonderful job. I have nothing negative to say about the Town of Falmouth. It’s been an absolutely wonderful place to work. I’m a little sad to go, but it’s part of my plan and I’m on to a new chapter in my life.”