Clearwater says it will seek union advice in selecting a new chief, who will inherit a frayed relationship with the firefighters group.
By JENNIFER FARRELL
Published June 29, 2004
CLEARWATER - City Manager Bill Horne has selected five finalists from 85 applicants to succeed Chief Rowland Herald as head of the embattled Clearwater Fire Department.
After a national search, Horne culled the list to three in-state candidates, one from Indiana and another from Tennessee.
The only internal candidate, Assistant Chief James Fogarty, did not make the short list.
Horne, who along with the city staff will interview the candidates on July 8 and 9, said he is looking for someone to help mend the frayed relationship between the administration and the fire union, which are locked in a bitter labor standoff.
Talks reached an impasse last year, and firefighters, who have worked without a contract since October 2002, have staged repeated pickets at City Hall and city-sponsored events. In the last year, firefighters three times have overwhelmingly rejected proposed three-year deals negotiated by union leaders and the city administration.
A bargaining session Monday broke off after more than an hour when the parties could not agree on terms for a one-year deal. A few dozen firefighters and their family members crowded a conference room at the North Greenwood library, most in red union T-shirts, some emblazoned with white letters stating: "City of Clearwater is Unfair to Firefighters and Paramedics."
It is a climate that will no doubt complicate the city's push to remake the troubled department.
Horne and Human Resources director Joe Roseto said Monday the city will seek union advice in selecting the new chief.
Horne said he will look to the new chief to rebuild the relationship between the city and its fire union.
"Right now, it's at arm's length," he said. "I'd prefer to have a better relationship than that."
Herald, soft-spoken and mild-mannered, announced in February he would retire, saying the department was plagued by problems he couldn't fix. Effective Aug. 27, his departure will come weeks after his 25th anniversary with the department, more than six as its chief.
Herald built a reputation as a consensus builder and student of management theory. He is widely described as a nice man, but is leaving a 202-employee department that city administrators agree needs improvement.
An independent audit found the department lacks training, discipline, cooperation and effective command structure and needs sweeping - and expensive - organizational changes.
The audit was ordered by the city after a fatal high-rise fire at Dolphin Cove condominiums in June 2002 killed two elderly residents and seriously injured three firefighters.
The review came on the heels of a critical examination of Dolphin Cove by the United States Fire Administration and a review by the St. Petersburg Times that found firefighters violated department guidelines and failed to follow basic tactical procedures.
John Lee, president of Local No. 1158, said Monday he looks forward to the opportunity to contribute to the selection of a new chief.
"I'm thankful that the city's going to consider involving us," he said. "I think it's pretty important that the union be involved."
The candidates are:
Wade DeHate, 47, a division chief with the Hillsborough County Fire Department. DeHate has 27 years' experience and helps lead a department with 747 employees.
Jamie Geer, 50, fire chief in Franklin, Tenn. Geer has 28 years' experience and leads a department with 135 employees.
Jeffrey C. McCoy, 54, fire chief in Lafayette, Ind. McCoy has 30 years' experience and heads a department with 148 employees.
Charles Middleton, 52, deputy chief of the Orange County Fire Department, near Orlando. Middleton has 28 years' experience and helps lead a department with 1,000 employees.
Richard Williams, 57, fire chief in Gainesville. Williams has 28 years' experience and heads a department of 151.
- Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com
