BY SHELLEY NELSON
Duluth News Tribune
Superior’s Police and Fire Commission searched the Midwest and couldn’t find a better candidate to oversee the fire department than the man who’s been leading it for the past five months.
Tad Matheson, 49, was appointed as the city’s 13th fire chief by the commission Wednesday night.
“We don’t see that as a bad number,” said Commissioner Dave Minor. Of the six candidates who applied, four of whom tested for the position, Minor said Matheson quickly rose to the top. In the final leg of the search, Matheson was the only candidate who remained in the running.
“He just hit a home run,” Minor said.
Commissioners said Matheson’s strengths are his short- and long-term goals for the department, his knowledge and a desire to move forward in a positive manner.
Matheson, who had been assistant fire chief since 2000, was appointed acting fire chief in June after former Fire Chief Steve Gotelaere agreed to retire early after allegations of falsifying travel reports surfaced.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with the selection,” Superior Mayor Dave Ross said Wednesday night.
Matheson, the son of a firefighter, has worked for the department for 29 years.
“My father didn’t want me to be a firefighter,” Matheson said. “I think when he worked, it wasn’t that good of a paying job. And I think as a parent you’re always looking for your child to do better. He always pushed me to better myself.”
That paternal push prompted Matheson to attend the University of Wisconsin-Superior. He was working on an accounting degree when the city offered a firefighting test.
Matheson said his father encouraged him to test for a job with the fire department because the scheduling would accommodate his education. When he finished school, Matheson decided to stay with the fire department.
The president and co-founder of the Wisconsin Fire and Police Hall of Fame, Matheson remains involved in the Old Firehouse and Police Museum, and serves as the chairman of the Local Emergency Planning Committee. He’s also part of the Port Committee and Maritime Security team. Matheson is a member of the Elks and Eagles clubs in Superior and serves as president of the youth committee at Pilgrim Lutheran Church and the Parent Advisory Committee at Superior High School.
During his career, Matheson served as the hazardous materials coordinator when the department was developing its program in 1990. By 1992, the state designated the Superior Fire Department as a regional hazardous materials response team, which Matheson continued to lead.
Matheson also helped develop a joint rescue dive team with the Superior Police Department and Douglas County Sheriff’s Department.
In the future, he said the department will work to become a regional urban search and rescue team as well.
Within the department, Matheson said his goals are to continue improving training, provide the right tools and work with a “great bunch of guys” to provide the community with the best services possible.
In the community, Matheson said he wants to continue improving protection and fire prevention and safety education.
“He’s got just a great, gentle nature to him,” Ross said. “And yet... when he’s onto something, he’s very focused and very deliberate. I like that quality. He’s got that sense of tenacity that a leader needs.”
A lifelong Superior resident, Matheson and his wife, Mary, have four children, ages 15 to 26.