Controversial Town Towing Policy Reaches Boiling Point-October 16, 1978

Selectmen Weigh Adding a Fourth Contractor-

A long-standing municipal debate over Norwood’s official police towing rotation is set to reach a dramatic head tonight, as the Board of Selectmen prepares to address a controversial proposal to expand the roster of authorized town wreckers from three to four.

The upcoming decision has ignited sharp friction between town officials, the police department, and established local towing operators who argue that expanding the rotation will undermine service quality and dilute already modest revenues.

The Push for an Expanded Roster

The administrative push for a fourth towing contractor stems from recommendations by police department administrator Mogan and Police Chief James F. Curran, both of whom concluded that the town requires additional towing capacity—a vulnerability highlighted during the grueling demands of the February blizzard.

D&D Auto Body, operated by brothers Dennis and Daryl Stampfl from a location behind the Bamber Construction company shops near Walpole Street, applied to join the municipal rotation. Police officials verified that D&D met all core requirements, holding a valid state Department of Public Utilities (DPU) license, maintaining secure storage facilities, and offering 24-hour availability.

However, the Stampfl brothers’ application immediately ran into neighborhood resistance. Residents of Chatham Road filed formal complaints regarding the proposed location adjacent to a residential area, prompting Selectmen Chairman Martin J. Lydon to temporarily place the decision on hold pending tonight’s public hearing.

Addressing the neighborhood noise concerns, Dennis Stampfl maintained that his operational readiness should be the primary consideration. “My dream,” Stampfl said, “is to be a town towing contractor, and he is all equipped with radios, dependable help and state DPU rights.”

Selectman Mary J. Fox voiced support for the newcomers, arguing that the Stampfl brothers deserve an opportunity just like the existing contractors received when starting out. Fox noted that her research of municipal policy revealed no binding legal restriction on the number of authorized towing firms.

Established Towing Operators Push Back

Existing town towing contractors—Brian McTeague of South Norwood Service Center (990 Washington St.), Robert Kelleher of Center Auto Body (Broadway), and Don Bandoni of Don & Wally’s—vocalized strong opposition to increasing the roster.

McTeague, who has operated his service center for seven years, contended that Norwood is exceptionally well-served by the existing 14-wrecker combined fleet across the three authorized firms. Highlighting the economic realities of police rotation work, McTeague explained that police calls average only two or three cars a week per firm, yielding modest daytime rates of $17 and nighttime rates of $20.

Furthermore, operators pointed to the severe financial toll exacted by the historic winter storm. McTeague noted that his outfit towed 85 cars during the five-day blizzard cleanup but collected only $1,600 against $1,800 in operating expenses, constrained by DPU snow-removal rate caps. Kelleher warned that splitting the rotation four ways would make it economically unfeasible for operators to maintain a dedicated 24-hour on-call staff, ultimately degrading the reliability of emergency services.

The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to hear testimony from residents, police officials, and towing operators during tonight’s public session at 8:00 p.m.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger