There’s a familiar face coming on board as the new Hollister fire chief.
City leaders have appointed former Hollister Fire Department Capt. Bob Martin Del Campo as the new fire chief, Mayor Ignacio Velazquez confirmed.
Del Campo is set to succeed Interim Fire Chief Bill Garringer, who took over on a temporary basis when former Fire Chief Mike O’Connor accepted an early retirement offer.
City officials expect to have the council consider Del Campo’s contract July 21, with a swearing in expected Aug. 1, City Manager Bill Avera said.
A panel of 10 interviewed four finalists for the job in early June, and the city manager interviewed two finalists.
Del Campo has been serving as a division chief for the Watsonville Fire Department. He spent about 10 years with the Hollister Fire Department before departing five to six years ago, Avera said.
Hollister council members in March unanimously approved hiring former Fire Chief Bill Garringer as interim chief. O’Connor accepted early retirement as part of the city’s wider offer in the fall to all employees. His departure came on the heels of allegations of nepotism and time card fraud from the firefighters union. An outside investigator ruled those claims were false but did recommend changes to administrative procedures.
Most recently, in 2014, O’Connor earned $138,993 in the role, according to records.
