D.C. Fire Chief Never Fully Vetted

Ellerbe had sex-harassment complaint in Sarasota post

Mayor Vincent C. Gray hired and the D.C. Council confirmed Kenneth Ellerbe to head the District’s fire department without ever requesting a copy of his personnel file from the chief’s former employer in Sarasota County, Fla. — a file that contained a complaint of sexual harassment.

The complaint, recently obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, is supported by statements attesting to inappropriate behavior and intimidation on the part of Chief Ellerbe, who headed Sarasota’s fire department.

The disclosure raises concerns about how the politically connected fire chief was selected and whether he was vetted at all before being hand-picked in December 2010 to lead a 2,000-member agency with a budget of nearly $200 million.

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