The town of Freeport was set to hire its third new administrator in the past year Tuesday night, as the Town Council voted on Town Manager Peter Joseph’s recommendation of Charles Jordan for fire chief.

The meeting was held after the Tri-Town Weekly’s publication deadline.

Jordan will earn a salary of $84,209.

Jordan, 55, succeeds Darrel Fournier, who retired on May 6. The town hired a new library director, Arlene Arris, and a new police chief, Susan Nourse, earlier this year. Paul Conley, who has been with the Freeport force for more than 20 years, is the acting fire chief.

 The retired Rockland fire chief and his wife Robin plan to move from their Camden home to Freeport as soon as possible. He starts in Freeport on Aug. 1.

“My intention is to be at the station five days a week, right from the start,” Jordan said last Thursday. “I’ve been trying to get all my affairs in order up here. I have two homes to sell.”

Jordan had been with the Rockland Fire Department for 25 years, the last 10 as chief. He retired in 2014, turning his attention to commercial real estate appraisal.

“Then I absolutely, positively missed it,” Jordan said. “So when we moved to Camden late last year, I took a job as a firefighter there.”

Jordan said he learned last Wednesday that he was Joseph’s choice.

“We want to be part of the community,” he said. “I don’t believe this is a job where you can commute, and be away. Freeport certainly appears from what I have seen to be a good place to work.”

Joseph said that the search committee received more than 30 applications for the position. The committee selected six candidates for initial interviews, and then two finalists.

“While it was not an easy decision to make, I believe the employment experience, as well as the knowledge, skills and abilities possessed by Mr. Jordan,” Joseph told the Town Council in his nominating letter.

Joseph told the council that Jordan has had a notable career.

“Rockland is a similarly sized city to Freeport, with a comparable mix of commercial and residential properties. Likewise, the Rockland Fire Department is sized similarly to the Freeport Fire/Rescue Department, and carries out both fire and ambulance functions. I believe that Charlie’s strong experience as chief in a similarly sized department and city will serve as a valuable resource to him as Freeport’s Fire/Rescue chief.”

Jordan added that, during the review process, he received “strong endorsement of Mr. Jordan’s character, his dedication, and his leadership from varied sources, including former supervisors, colleagues and residents.”

Jordan said that he is “unapologetically” a firefighters’ chief.

“I believe in empowering the firefighters who work for me, and the command staff that works for me,” he said. “My core belief is that by caring deeply about the members of the department, those members will in turn form bonds with each other and care deeply for those they serve.”

Jordan, raised in Camden, earned a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Maine in 1987. He later worked for the United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Academy.

He and his wife Robin have a daughter, Mackenzie, 27 and a son Jeffrey, 24.

Charles Jordan, shown kneeling, accepts an award during his retirement party as Rockland police chief in 2014. Jordan is the new police chief in Freeport, and his first day on the job is Aug. 1.

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