Firing leaves a hole in fire department leadership
Published October 17, 2003
Let me get this straight. First off, there is a fire at Dolphin Cove condominiums with two fatalities and five firefighters getting hurt. Then there is an ongoing battle between the city and its firefighters.
Then, to top it all off, two well-respected assistant fire chiefs get fired for what I can see as no apparent reason.
If the city is going in a new direction, just exactly who is going to train these firefighters who allegedly don't even know how to fight fires by the book? And are there really rules when it comes to saving someone's life? Personally, I don't think so. Those firefighters that day are heroes.
So now we have come to no agreement between the firefighters and the city (because) the firefighters want more money.
So I am wondering where the money came from to give the police officers raises. Also, didn't Mr. (Bill) Horne get a raise? But he is underpaid according to the City Commission. Just what does this guy do besides cry like a baby? I mean, come on, a black pumpkin? Who cares? Two words: First Amendment!
I hate to say it, but whatever happened to (former city manager) Mike Roberto? I know that Mr. Roberto had his problems, but at least I would have the reassurance that if an emergency occurred I would have happy firefighters getting paid what they deserve at my door instead of an underpaid one having a bad day.
Personally, I would have rather had the old library in exchange for the reassurance that the Fire Department was taken care of.
The complainers from Safety Harbor and Feather Sound had to know when they bought their homes for the view in that area that the airport was in close proximity.
Having two international airports in the Tampa Bay area is very positive for residents. It keeps the costs down to travel for business and pleasure and it provides a wide choice of travel times for convenience. If they have lived in a community with no airport noise, then they have to know it takes hours to drive to the airport and it costs a fortune to catch a connecting flight where they need to go.
If the airport isn't allowed to upgrade and expand its services and facility then it cannot be expected to compete for the bigger business. If you lose this airport you will lose tax dollars, hotel nights, food purchases and much more than just the noise.
I cannot believe anyone would complain about a U.S. Coast Guard rescue launch at any time of the day. These people put their lives on the line for you and your loved ones who were stupid enough or had the misfortune to get into trouble on the water. I can safely say that if you were floating around in 60-degree water in the dead of night, you would be glad to see that rescue helicopter. Don't you dare complain about any noise they make.
-- J. Miller, Palm Harbor
Decision treats firefighters like puppets
I hope the residents of Clearwater are paying attention to the issues with the firefighters. There are always two sides to the story, and it is hard to judge what is true.
What I interpret from the statements of Fire Chief Rowland Herald and City Manager Bill Horne is that if you are not with us, you will be retaliated against, as with the firing of the two assistant chiefs.
Chief Herald's statement about them being weak links in his management team seems to actually say that if you care about the firefighters, you don't belong here.
I ask, why does a different set of rules apply to Mr. Horne when it comes to his pay raise versus the firefighters' raise? As a citizen of Clearwater, I appreciate the job they do and believe they deserve a true raise and not the insult that they were offered.
Mr. Horne, you and your Chief Herald should start treating your subordinates as humans and not as puppets that you control through fear of retribution.
-- Joseph Hitch, Clearwater
Tell the whole truth about firefighters
Re: News coverage of negotiations between Clearwater firefighters and the city, the prop used in a recent protest, and your Oct. 7 editorial, Picketing with crude effigy no way to win labor contract.
The Times should be ashamed and embarrassed. Clearwater residents deserve an apology for you not fully investigating and reporting the facts in a fair, unbiased and accurate manner.
Free speech is a cornerstone of freedom. Extraordinary circumstances occur and we are free to publicly protest to bring attention to an issue. Fifteen months of failed contract negotiations seems extraordinary.
Firefighters consider family finances and their careers a personal matter, as did City Manager Bill Horne when he asked for a raise to make his salary comparable for his position. His raise didn't take 15 months, yet he doesn't have the years of experience in his career many firefighters do. Using a black pumpkin (as a prop) to specify Mr. Horne is not inappropriate. Firefighters made their concerns known to people attending a City Commission meeting and specified the one they see responsible for failing to get a contract signed: an African-American city manager. Using a white pumpkin would have been inappropriate. A sign reading "City Manager Horne cannot do his job because he's African-American" would have been inappropriate. Depictions of race don't necessarily equate to racial slurs.
The Oct. 7 editorial is inexcusable due to unsubstantiated assertions that Mr. Horne is "the victim of both racial and religious slurs." You injected your opinion that horns on the pumpkin were intended to be an affront to his religion. However, in no recent article does Mr. Horne or anyone else indicate it to be anti-Lutheran. You did not ask firefighters if that was their intention. To me, the horns symbolized Mr. Horne as a bad man who is preventing agreement on a contract. The Times' bias on this point is totally irresponsible and almost slanderous. Shame on you!
The Times also uses unsubstantiated assertions that introduce the idea that racial tensions exist between Mr. Horne and firefighters, and consequently propose the idea that the firefighters are racists. Your Oct. 3 story reported, ". . . Despite being the target of what many see as a racial slur . . ." yet no one source is quoted as saying (the effigy) is a racial slur in this or any subsequent report. Until you identify the source by name, you are guilty of expressing what is not factual and thus, opinion. If a source stated a racial slur occurred and you withheld the identity to protect the person from public scrutiny, you are guilty of unfair reporting. Your irresponsible use of opinion in a news article probably influenced many to wrongly think of Clearwater firefighters as racists.
Your Oct. 7 editorial says, "If there is any justice in this situation, it is that so far, the effigy has had the effect of smearing firefighters more than it has Horne." Again, another unsubstantiated assertion, and even though this is an editorial, I find your opinion grossly unfair. No basis for making that statement exists - no public opinion poll, no tally of calls received. You also are negligent and irresponsible for writing that firefighters are being "insubordinate," especially when you have provided zero evidence in any previous articles of that insubordination. Name the individual. Let residents decide if those acts are worthy of support or disdain. If the firefighters' reputations have been smeared and their negotiation leverage impaired due to diminished public support caused by Times' coverage and opinions, you should be held accountable.
Frankly, there's a whole lot more to this story than you have told your readers. "Justice" is defined as "fairness in the way people are treated." Once the Times admits it has not concerned itself with providing justice to the residents of Clearwater in its reporting, and then offers an apology, I'll be content to have you define for me what justice is.
-- Rick Wagoner, Clearwater
Airport gave way under public pressure
Thirty years ago I lived in Del Oro Groves in Clearwater and at 7 a.m. I would be lifted out of bed by Eastern and National airplanes landing at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
It became so annoying that after pleading with the airlines to change their flight path, with no success, I formed the Del Oro Groves Association to protest and seek the aid of county commissioners. We sought the help of other organizations and went en masse to commission meetings until finally we were heard and the flights came in over the bay. Unfortunately, I had sold my house due to the hazard and noise level before the airlines made the change.
I hope the association is still in existence. Commissioners who wish to retain their positions will act if they see they are going to face angry voters in their next election. However, I feel commissioners were more responsive to public opinions 30 years ago. Pay heed, those of you who object to the noise. Pinellas County commissioners need to realize what the public wants and at times it takes some pressure on them.
-- Paul Miller, Tarpon Springs
Your voice counts
We invite readers to write letters for publication. Address them to Letters to the Editor, the Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Or you may fax them to 727 445-4119, or e-mail to npletters@sptimes.com E-mail letters must be text only and cannot include attachments.
Letters should be brief and must include the writer's name, city of residence, mailing address and phone number. Addresses and phone numbers will not be published.
Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be printed.
