You cannot deny Rick's passion and dedication to the Salisbury Fire Department. Quite frankly, I'm not so sure I would have stuck around for the past three years as Acting Fire Chief and being subjected to less pay.
When someone puts in as many years as Rick Hoppes has with the SFD, don't you believe that's worth a promotion? After all, isn't that what YOU strive for when you go to work every day?
Yes, there is a pending charge of discrimination against the City and yes, there are rumors of the SFD being racist. Until that case is heard and there's a ruling, these cases can be very damning in the mean time.
Our job here at Salisbury News is to bring you the news and information out there. We have stated a case was pending but as I also stated, I have never seen Rick Hoppes treat anyone poorly over the many years I have known him. I believe Bryan Records said it best in this Post, A Comment Worthy Of A Post 2-3-12.
We also provided this Post,
Rick Hoppes Is Looking Good, Should Becomes Salisbury's Next Fire Chief.
This is America. Rick has put in his time and has proven himself. I think Mayor Ireton made a great choice and I'm glad to see the City Council move Rick forward. The City should hire from within more often. Ivan Barkley got screwed.
27 comments:
Joe, you are the bigger and better man. Salisbury citizens made a big mistake not electing you.
Rick has earned a chance and it is well deserved.
Ivan was screwed.
Joe, Are you sick?
Not like he could possibly get a job in the private sector. Of course he would stick around, it's his only opportunity,
he is also responsible for the fire boat. i rest my case. thanks sjd
If his brain is by chance bigger than his ego, he'd put the boat up for sale and put the proceeds back into his budget. There is no way his budget can afford to train and maintain a Coast Guard licensed staff to actually ever use this "free" boat.
Its done. Get over it.
I had a boss who was promoted because he "put in his time." He was mean, spiteful and drove away good people.
I won't go so far as other to say that Hoppes isn't dedicated, etc., etc., but get real about him "hanging in there for three years." It was in his personal financial interest to do so.
I agree with the commenter about the fireboat and other things. Hoppes just seems to be a younger Gordy.
What's done is done. The people gloating over Hoppes should shut up and the people against him should too.
Ireton should never have drug this out the way he did. If there is anything to talk about, it should be the incompetence or deceit or whatever it was that caused this to be a three-year ordeal. It really started before this last council. If Ireton hadn't got his rubber stamp council in the election, just how long would he have drug it out some more?
I agree with the one comment above are you sick. I respectfully disagree with you and he has not done his time. Jim Ireton did not make a good choice and you have said it before yourself that Rick wasn't the man for the job. This guy has ruined many careers and wasted millions of dollars in tax payer money. Many of us don't and won't forget that. This is not a good post Joe, but it's your blog and you are entitled to your comments.
Check your facts and you will see the Council did the dragging. Ireton Did the right thing when the Council turned down Hoppes. He did as he said he was going to do. Ireton put off until after the election, submitting Hoppes name again, knowing the Council would reject Hoppes again.
If Ireton lost the election it would no longer matter as the appointment would not be his to make.
Hoppes, right or wrong, has been appointed. I believe that Hoppes was the right decision. It is done and it is over, let it go.
Joe, please quit flip flopping. I voted for you to stay on course and not to flip flop like Ireton does. Please stand your ground and you will get more respect. This is a horrible post is support of someone who shouldn't even be employed by the city.
It took him this long to pass all the material from school.
How long has Hoppes been employed with the fire department? Twenty five years or more and it took him that long to get a required degree and a fake one at that!
A degree means squat when running a dept like the fire department. Rick has been a long and valued employee of the SFD. Experience is far better to have than a degree in many cases. Our city gov't has become a complete joke. Hopefully the new council may change things but we will see.
Ireton played him like a cheap fiddle over the last year.
And Hoppes knew what to expect all along.
It's what Salisbury politics have become.
Anonymous said...
A degree means squat when running a dept like the fire department. Rick has been a long and valued employee of the SFD. Experience is far better to have than a degree in many cases. Our city gov't has become a complete joke. Hopefully the new council may change things but we will see.
April 24, 2013 at 4:08 PM
This is 2013 so why don't you join us. In this day and age a degree is required to get a job in most government agencies. Salisbury just made a fool of themselves with this one. The only reason people say a degree doesn't mean squat is because they don't have one and they are to lazy to work for one. The good ole boy system is still in place in this city and 4:17 PM is correct. Ireton used Hoppes, but Hoppes put his integrity aside just for a title. Salisbury is still the laughing stock of Maryland.
I just looked at the Daily Rag's interview with Hoppes and he sat on a bench for the interview. He is to lazy to stand up for the interview. Proves what everyone has been saying all along. Poor choice for a department head.
2:28, check YOUR facts, know it all.
Ireton did NOT have confidence in Hoppes to submit him the first time around. He did some sort of survey with the firefighters and THEY said NO! This has been a game.
Anonymous said...
2:28, check YOUR facts, know it all.
Ireton did NOT have confidence in Hoppes to submit him the first time around. He did some sort of survey with the firefighters and THEY said NO! This has been a game.
April 24, 2013 at 7:12 PM
You are exactly right. They voted for Bernie Becker from Ohio and Ireton paid several thousand tax dollars to fly Bernie Becker in for an interview, not once, but twice and that is a fact! The firefighters gave Hoppes a vote of no confidence, but the snake hung in there and was used by Ireton for political gain.
The city pays for your college courses. So there really is no excuse not to have a degree if you want to get it.
Anonymous said...
The city pays for your college courses. So there really is no excuse not to have a degree if you want to get it.
April 24, 2013 at 9:10 PM
You are correct and this proves that Richard Hoppes is and was an extremely lazy employee. It shouldn't take anyone 25 years to get a 4 year degree. He then takes the lazy way out and gets the city to pay for a fake degree. This guy has done nothing but waste good tax dollars ever since he got in a power of authority.
I was looking at the pictures of Rick Hoppes in the DT website and he was already wearing a gold badge and collar pins with 5 horns which signifies Fire Chief. Apparently he knew something before the city council did.
Another reason to leave Salisbury ASAP!
Why give this man his due? He screwed over so many people to get where he is now. What goes around comes around and he will get his due. You can't keep screwing over people with out it coming back to bite you in the arse.
Anonymous said...
I was looking at the pictures of Rick Hoppes in the DT website and he was already wearing a gold badge and collar pins with 5 horns which signifies Fire Chief. Apparently he knew something before the city council did.
You can play dress-up all you want but there is a reason why you are only considered for acting positions. Looking the part and acting the part with leadership, budget knowledge, conviction and forward thinking are two different things.
2:14 PM you are correct. This man was only acting the part and he was in it for himself and himself only. The only thing this man knows about leadership is doing what he has to do to get to the top and be in charge. Knowledge of a combination volunteer/career fire and EMS department is not his forte. Just because he convinced the mayor and council to buy a million dollar fireboat and numerous expensive toys. Anyone following this saga knows the man screwed up the long term maintenance costs of the fire boat. Anyone that has been paying attention knows he and Ireton screwed up the 2 year grant for the paid firemen. There were lies and deceit with that grant itself which came close to creating legal issues on the federal level. As far as leadership Richard A. Hoppes has proven he is a failure, but that is par for the course with Jim Ireton and his choices for department heads.
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