The saga continues in the search for a new Fire Chief in Salisbury. The 5 local applicants within the SFD have been rejected and today Mayor Ireton will start yet another round of interviews with 5 OUTSIDERS.
You have to wonder what this new Mayor is capable of. Considering Ireton has no past experience in hiring and firing, going through a crash course at the expense of your own employees is truly not a healthy thing.
Morale is low enough within the SFD and having 5 internal people apply for the position, (some of them qualified) and none of them getting the job, not good! I mean the following with all due respect but quite frankly, I don't think the Firefighters will be happy with any decision that is made but they'll learn to live with it and adjust.
I did speak to Acting Chief Hoppes last week and he respectfully stated he will work with the Mayor in any capacity he so chooses. What do YOU know about this situation?
36 comments:
This is as idiotic as his rejection of SAPOA's request to meet with him.
Dave Merritt would have been a good candidate for Chief.
I think Mayor is stupid and if Salisbury does not get someone in there that can do the job right, say goodbye to the town. It may actually be too late already.
Sounds like the best thing he can do is hire from outside the department. It is all too old boy network in the department.
Ireton is a complete mornon...he has exposed that truth numerous times. Thanks for letting Salisbury become a small Baltimore Jim.
He is not an honest man. I don't know him personnally. I saw him out one night in a Salisbury restaurant. He was on the bar side with several friends celebrating. He and his friends enjoyed some adult beverages and then had a couple of rounds of shots/shooters....which ended up being at the expense and without the knowledge of the business owner. His tab was edited and he "took good care" of the bartender in return. I wish I had called the owner but I think that the Mayor would have had no consequence and the bartender would have possibly lost her job...all over the Mayor's lack of integrity. If the bartender was not going to look after the owner's best interest then one would think the Mayor would step up and not take from a Salisbury business owner in these troubled times.
Salisbury is not an All America city, it's a clown town with Ireton in the mayor's office.
The Salisbury FD will finally destroy itself when an outsider takes over. Its started to sink when the last outsider took over and its been downhill ever since. Hoppes could do the job, but he refuses to separate himself from what we know is the problem. Mr. Gordy. He further compounds the problem by installing Mr Bragg as the Acting Deputy. The entire selection process has been a disgrace and a mockery.
What does the Union think of their boy now? Never get into bed with a politian my friends.
Salisbury is a joke. You take a simple thing like selecting a department head and you screw it up. Over a year for a fire and police chief and you still have nothing.Do you know what that does to the employees and Volunteer morale. Do you know what that says when you reject a person who has put his life into that department ?
I recomend Jeremy Gordy for Fire Chief, whois with me... LMAO!
10:38
Yea David Merritt would have been great chief. He could have vastly expanded SFD's territory like he recently did in Princess Anne. Now Allen and Pocomoke don't go to calls that they can almost see from their stations, but instead Princess Anne does (about 15 miles from their station) because it's in Somerset County. Makes sense to me...
Hastings,Werkheiser,Tull and Records are four men that I feel that could have lead the department from the inside. They are men that I respected and thought would someday possibly be the Chief. Hastings and Werkheiser left too soon because the See administration disrespected them and ran them away.Tull gave it a shot and opted out after seeing what really goes on. Records never did apply as far as I know. This was the future of the fire department and they are not even in the mix. What does that say to the firefighters coming up. Thats why nobody stays very long anymore. Salisbury is not business friendly or employee friendly.
Dave Merritt is a joke, he is not qualified. He is not looking out for the citizens of Somerset County, so why would he be any better in Salisbury.
ok...somebody PLEASE help me out here. Clearly I am confused. Wasn't "Mayorla Candidate" Ireton the "Change candidate". I didn't realize change was synonymous with stagnation. I mean seriously folks...how much longer can this behavior be tolerated? The mayor and the council are ineffective.
If the Cheif hiring process is as screwed up as the Firefighter process that was just completed good luck to the people of the bury. With 7 unfilled paramedic spots open the SFD decides to fill four of the positions. Problem is they only hired one Paramedic. Not because of lack of qualified applicants but for political reasons. They hired only from the SFD volunteer membership as to drain an already shrinking number of volunteers. Why? The less volunteers to help the easier to justify more spending to add more paid positions. Way to look out for the tax payers, go IAFF!!!
I have to agree with 10:43...it's time to get rid of the "good ole' boy" network and let the fire department start to heal...which it will.
@11:29...if you knew this happened and didn't report it, you're dishonest as well. End of story.
631 bring an outsider in is not going to get rid of the good ole boy network. Appointing a fire chief from the inside will be the only answer to getting rid of the good ole boy network and that person will have to be someone who is not part of the good ole boy network system and I believe we all know who that is.
When the dept had the good ole boy system there weren't hardly any problems. Go ahead mayor and bring another " super outsider " in and watch us chew him up and spit him out like the Balitmoron that idiot Barrie Tilghman hired. Just think what you taxpayers in the city will pay when all us volunteers quit. Have fun !!
@6:31
Not my job to police the mayor or to manage other folks business affairs.Don't see how that makes me dishonest.
E Johnson for chief!!
Ok because it is so late and this post is so far down I am sure wont be read. But here is my opinion:
Take an analogy from the Orioles of late. They have sucked. But they finally brought in an outsider to manage the team and have gone 6-1. Sometimes it takes an outsider to turn around a team. Doesnt allways work but usually does. Do the Orioles still suck? Sure they do... but the leader is getting better results and maybe after the Owner leaves they will get better. To bad you cant vote out an owner of a team. But you can vote out the leader of the city. Your choice people. Please VOTE!!
The difference of an outsider now vs Breezler is the volunteers have signed a MOU with the city. If they dont abide by it they will be replaced or out. A choice they get to make. If they 3 corporations and the career guys could get their heads out of their butts and work together they could be a strong political force. Gordy, Bragg and the Chief know that keeping contention and infighting between the 4 groups will allow them to get away with what they want.
Jim 1:22 AM,
The problem with an outsider is the fact that he knows nothing about the Salisbury Fire Department or how it should be ran. He will come in and listen to his Deputies(Gordo and Hoppes) and it will be the same ole same ole. How do you think Gordo, Hoppes and Bragg got to where they are now? They sucked up to an outsider which was Brezler and got to the top. There noses were so far up Brezlers a$$ that if he made a sudden turn they would break off. An outsider is not an answer, but voting Ireton out of office is. The only problem is that we are stuck with Ireton for 3 more years. The Salisbury Fire Department is sinking fast and that can be blamed on Jim Ireton.
Does an outsider deserve to be appointed the city fire chief? No. Does an outsider live in the city limits? No. Does and outsider pay city taxes? No. Has an outsider done his time in the Salisbury Fire Department? NO!! So Jim Ireton again you are screwing the employees and the city tax payers. You must go!!
I heard they interviewed a captain from the Baltimore City Fire Department. That is just great since Baltimore City has no volunteer firefighters and treats it's paramedics like second class citizens. He won't last long in the Salisbury Fire Department especially with the Volunteers throughout the county.
I hope all the paramedics leave Salisbury for better jobs like in Ocean City. They deserve much better.
7:23 You make a good point, this should be looked into, as a volunteer i have to agree with you, lets see if it can happen, we are willing.
Sounds like a lot of these comments are coming from within the FD, volunteers and paid employees alike. A huge part of Salisbury is deeply and adversely affected by the "good old boy network", right up through the court system. You may not like Mayor Ireton, but I believe he is doing the right thing in trying to bring in someone from the outside to break up one of these networks. Salisburians seriously need to get real and put an end to ALL of the good old boy networks. Do that and much of the corruption, favoritism, and ridiculous gossip, etc. will stop. All you fire dept. folks need to quit whining and man-up ... if you worked in a non-government corporation, you wouldn't have a damn thing to say about who your boss is...grow up and shut up. Be glad for your job or be glad you can volunteer to help others. What a bunch of babies!!!
And Ocean City is finally hiring! Just wait for another mass exitis.
Why don't you hire someone that knows how to run a Fire Department, what difference does it matter where they are from? Make the Chief agree to live in the city once hired, part of the Chief's job is to draw from experience, learn the city and protect his employees paid and volunteer.
12:15 What a cheesewheel, Get real this country was a " good ole boy system " . Now it is run by a bunch of slackers, liberals & pollitically correct morons. Now look at the mess its in. Since you have so much time on your hands, why dont you volunteer we need more personel anyway. After about a year of classes. physicals & background checks you will be qualified to be a member. By the way I own several businesses and hire over 30 people to run them. So Come on and join us looks like you have alot of wisdom to offer. How about getting off your wining rear end and put up or SHUT UP.
Well guess what guys, looks like you screwed yourselves out of a couple of promotions by not coming to a "consensus" about the future of the fire department. You people are getting what you deserve. I hope all the good people jump ship.
Joe this is a very important local issue. Could you please move it to the top.
Come on people. You don't even know the potential "outsider" candidates. Sure, being an "outsider" means you aren't familiar with Salisbury, but it's just quite possible that they have plenty of knowledge & EXPERIENCE that could turn around the department & most likely teach this town a thing or 2. Wow, what a concept. Give the person a chance for god's sake.
Anonymous said...
Come on people. You don't even know the potential "outsider" candidates. Sure, being an "outsider" means you aren't familiar with Salisbury, but it's just quite possible that they have plenty of knowledge & EXPERIENCE that could turn around the department & most likely teach this town a thing or 2. Wow, what a concept. Give the person a chance for god's sake.
10:42 PM
Look moron the person doesn't deserve a chance. Some of the local candidates are qualified and they deserve the chance. Not some outsider who hasn't done their time in the fire department.
I really feel sorry for Jim Ireton when this outsider is appointed and gets run out of town.
1:04, It's people with your skewed mindedness that hold this town back. Nice way to start a sentence, by the way. Next time, do a little research & state your opinion without name calling. You just might earn a little more credibility in your argument.
BTW, no one was saying that the people from here weren't qualified. I'm sure they are & deserve the promotion. Unfortunately for those locals, someone thinks an outsider has something more/different to offer. Whatever the thinking, give the person a chance. See what their credibilities are before "running them out of town." You may just be surprised.
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