Phyllis Boucher Succeeds Longtime Director Bartley J. King as Health Director-September 14, 1983

Phyllis Boucher, currently serving as Braintree’s health code enforcement officer, has been officially hired as the new public health director for the town of Norwood, with her appointment scheduled for formal announcement by the Norwood Health Board today.

Appointment Highlights and Background

Selected from a competitive pool of 23 applicants, the 30-year-old Boucher will step into the $25,000-a-year role starting September 26. A Rockland native currently residing in Weymouth who previously spent four years living in Norwood, Boucher expressed enthusiasm for her new career step while acknowledging her departure from Braintree, where she spent five years enforcing sanitary codes for local restaurants and food establishments.

Braintree Health Board Chairman Thomas Corcoran praised her service, noting, “She has been an excellent employee, and we will miss her. Of course we could never stand in the way of her bettering herself professionally.” Norwood Health Board Chairman Patricia Anne Talbot noted in August that Boucher stood out as the sole fully qualified candidate among the 23 applicants. Boucher is a registered sanitarian and certified health officer holding a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and a master’s degree in public health from Boston University. Commenting on regional environmental concerns, Boucher added that she believes the local PCB contamination issue has “pretty much been resolved and shouldn’t result in more problems.”

Preceding Controversy and Civil Service Hearing

Boucher succeeds Bartley J. King, the 70-year-old veteran administrator who abruptly resigned in July following a bitter dispute with the health board. King initially quit after accusing the Norwood board of “harassing” him by imposing a tight inspection deadline on a local catering establishment.

Although King later sought to retract his resignation—characterizing his departure as an improper termination after 40 years of service—he appealed the board’s action to the state Civil Service Commission. The commission has scheduled an official hearing on King’s grievance for September 26, matching the exact date Boucher assumes her new duties in Norwood.

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