SUNAPEE — The town has appointed a new fire chief, the Fire Department announced on social media Sunday evening.

Ted Tillson succeeds John Galloway, who resigned in January after 25 years with the department.

Sunapee Fire Capt. Matthew Pollari has led the department on an interim basis since Galloway’s departure. 

Tillson has served several other New Hampshire fire departments, including in Lempster, Marlow and Swanzey, over the course of a 30-year career, according to the announcement. He is also a captain with the New Hampshire Fire Academy, where he serves as an instructor. 

“Chief Tillson brings quite a bit of experience to the town,” Town Manager Shannon Martinez said by phone Tuesday. He’s also a “known commodity” because in his role with the fire academy, he helped to train many of the department’s members. 

His selection comes after a search committee received roughly a dozen applications for the position, Martinez said. Three candidates were invited to interview. 

Tillson, who recently relocated to Sunapee, “is an ideal person to guide the ship and lead the new iteration of the Sunapee Fire Department,” Martinez said. 

The position of fire chief in Sunapee is part-time. Residents have twice — in 2023 and 2024 — rejected warrant articles proposing that the position move to full time. 

Galloway, who now heads the Bethlehem (N.H.) Fire Department, tendered his resignation at a Jan. 21 Sunapee Selectboard meeting. Addressing the board, he said in a recording of the meeting that the Sunapee Fire Department had been the “black sheep of the town for a very long time” and that the board had prioritized staffing and funding of other departments over his.

He also said that “relentless social media bullying of town officials and employees” created a negative work atmosphere. 

Martinez declined to comment on Galloway’s remarks, but said that “there is a lot of gratitude for how far Chief Galloway was able to take the department.”

Tillson’s first official day as Sunapee’s new chief will be Thursday, April 3.

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@ vnews.com or 603-727-3208.