Roche to Serve Part Time as Interim Personnel Director for Somerville

The morning after former Ward 1 Alderman William Roche resigned from the Somerville Board of Aldermen after nearly 17 years of service, the mayor's office announced he's been hired as a part-time interim personnel director for the city. 

According to an announcement from the mayor's office, Roche will fill in for the city's former personnel director, Sarah Kloos, who resigned Nov. 30 to prepare for the arrival of her second child.

Roche, who holds a master's degree in human resources from Boston University, has worked as a senior human resources manager at NSTAR since 1999 (he's been an NSTAR employee since 1971), and he currently serves as a safety and compliance manager, the announcement says.

The city will continue its search for a permanent full-time personnel director, and Roche will help conduct the search, the announcement says. It also says Roche will help the city with contract negotiations, filling "key vacancies" in city government and "the ongoing modernization of systems and procedures."

The announcement says, "His salary as interim personnel director will be prorated to reflect the hours he actually works. As he did during his service as Ward 1 alderman, Roche will continue to voluntarily forgo health insurance benefits from the city."

In a statement, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said, "As soon as he told me about his plans to retire as alderman, I jumped at the chance to get his help."