City manager Bill Horne says he has offered the post to one of three finalists who will replace Rowland Herald, but he will not name the choice until the man says yes to the offer.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 4, 2004
CLEARWATER - City Manager Bill Horne has picked the next fire chief, but until the man says yes, Horne won't say who.
Horne offered the post to one of three finalists after he visited their home departments last week. He's waiting for word back.
"I want to make absolutely sure I got him," Horne said Tuesday. "But I've been very pleased with the process.
"I'm confident all three finalists could do the job."
None of the candidates to succeed Chief Rowland Herald - Hillsborough County Division Chief Wade DeHate, Orange County Deputy Chief Charles Middleton and Franklin, Tenn., interim fire Chief Jamie Geer - could be reached Tuesday night.
Geer, 50, was scheduled to meet with Franklin City Administrator Jay Johnson on Tuesday evening. Johnson said he did not know what would be discussed.
Geer has also applied to become the permanent chief in Franklin, which has 135 employees.
DeHate, 47, has 27 years' experience and helps direct Hillsborough County's 747-member department.
Middleton, 52, works as deputy chief of the Orange County Fire Department and is an administrator in a department of more than 1,000 employees.
"For a city manager, this is one of the most important decisions I will make," Horne said.
City administrators, along with Herald, who announced he would retire earlier this year, and a representative from the firefighters' union interviewed five finalists in Clearwater earlier this month.
The group compared notes, and with their input, Horne chose the final three candidates. He then went and visited the finalists at their home departments.
He even traveled to Franklin, which is about 30 minutes south of Nashville, to meet with city officials there.
"I needed to talk to people who observe them on a day-to-day basis," Horne said. "I asked them all one basic question: Is this person ready to be fire chief in Clearwater?"
Whomever Horne picks to lead the 202-person department will enter a precarious situation.
Firefighters have worked without a contract since October 2002 and have often clashed with city administrators. They have picketed city-sponsored events and repeatedly rejected city contract offers. The firefighters have also asked for pay raises that equal the city's police department.
John Lee, president of Local No. 1158, questioned whether Horne would be willing to make a monetary commitment to a qualified candidate.
"I think there's a couple viable candidates, whether the city can pay them the money they need we will see," Lee said. "Good people cost money."
Regardless of the choice, Lee said the union will seek to build a bridge between administrators and firefighters.
"I'm going to work with whoever," Lee said. "I've worked a long time in what we presently had. That shows we're willing to work with anybody."
Staff researcher Carolyn Edds contributed to this report. Aaron Sharockman can be reached at 727 445-4160 or asharockman@sptimes.com
