Warren asks Newton department heads for resumes

By Calvin Hennick, Globe Correspondent

Setti Warren, Newton’s mayor-elect, has asked all of the city’s department heads to e-mail him resumes by the end of the week and plans to interview all of the department heads soon.

Last week, Warren said he hadn’t made any decisions about which personnel will be kept and which will be fired when he takes office on Jan. 1. Campaign aide Deborah Shah said the interviews and resumes are more than simply people applying to keep their own jobs.

“I would say there are many purposes for these meetings,” Shah said, mentioning that Warren wants to get to know the department heads and develop a better understanding of the departments. Warren "wants to have a sense of their background, as well,” Shah said.

Warren and current Mayor David Cohen met with the department heads on Monday.

“He just wanted to assure them that the process would be fair and equitable,” Shah said.

Warren is spending much of the week meeting with his transition team, community activists, and elected officials who did not support him during the campaign, Shah said. He attended an event for new mayors this morning at the State House and will be attending an “Understanding Our Differences” event tonight with Governor Deval Patrick.

On Wednesday, Warren will observe Veterans Day with an event at the American Legion Post 440 in Nonantum. Warren is a veteran of the Iraq War and a member of the post.

Calvin Hennick can be reached at calvinhennick@yahoo.com.