A veteran firefighter from Tennessee, he was chosen to pull his department there back together after a sexual harassment controversy that resulted in the then-chief suddenly retiring.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 5, 2004
CLEARWATER - A man who united a Tennessee fire department will be asked to do the same as Clearwater's next fire chief.
Jamie Geer, the interim chief of Franklin, Tenn., was named Wednesday to succeed retiring Chief Rowland Herald. Geer, 50, stood alone among the 85 applicants for the post, City Manager Bill Horne said.
"He reminds me of a guy who isn't going to get rattled," Horne said.
Given Geer's starting point, composure will be critical.
Serious questions about the department's performance still linger in the wake of the fatal fire at the Dolphin Cove condominiums in Island Estates in June 2002. At the same time, city administrators and the firefighter's union have been locked in an ugly labor dispute for more than a year.
Geer said he's ready for the challenges.
"I'm not going to sit here and tell you my game plan," said Geer, who accepted the position late Tuesday that will pay $98,000 a year. "I have some experience in these matters. I have some skills that will come into play. I'm very open and upfront that I believe in building relationships."
With more than 28 years of experience, Geer has spent time both as a department administrator and a union president. In Clearwater, Herald, who will retire later this month, and John Lee, president of the Local No. 1158, both supported Horne's hire.
"He seems very well rounded," said Lee, who has criticized Herald's lack of firefighting experience. "I believe, different from what it is today, he's going to be willing to work with labor. It's a fresh face with no preconceived perspectives."
Herald and Lee each interviewed the city's five finalists, including Geer. Herald said Geer comes off as a natural leader.
"He made quite an impression on me," said Herald, chief since 1998. "He's very thoughtful, very logical. I think that's exactly what the organization needs."
In Franklin, Geer took on the task of mending a department still stunned by the retirement of its former boss following allegations of sexual harassment.
During a preliminary investigation into those charges, Geer, who was then Franklin's deputy chief, received a disciplinary letter from the city administrator for failing to report the matter to administrators, according to published reports.
Still, Geer has been the acting chief since April.
In that time, he turned the department around "180 degrees," said Bob Morrell, Franklin union president.
"The morale was at an all-time low," Morrell said. "Jamie was an incredible breath of fresh air. It was just short of a miracle the way he handled our department. He put our feet back on the ground. He brought credibility back to our department."
Geer was one of three finalists for the permanent position in Franklin, a job he most assuredly would have received, Morrell said. Firefighters in the 135-member department in a Nashville suburb were saddened to hear Geer was leaving.
"He was able to bridge that gap between the administration and this department, which was a long-standing problem," Morrell said. "He made very short work of it.
"Y'all have had bigger problems and they've been going on for quite a bit longer, but I believe if there's anybody that can bring some sort of end to it, it would be Jamie."
Geer is expected to start Sept. 1.
The move to Clearwater is welcomed by his wife, Merinda, who listed Clearwater at the top of a list of places she wanted to live when the two mapped out Geer's career a few years ago. The couple will relocate with Merinda's two daughters, 11-year-old Victoria and 21-year-old Randi.
"They're partying as we speak," Geer said.
Clearwater officials also are excited.
Even Herald, who retires later this month, said new leadership could help repair the department's strained relations.
"There are several opportunities where a change of face is probably good for an organization," he said. "This is sort of like a relationship, the fire chief has a key role in it, the city manager has a key role in it, and this case, the union president has a key role in it. Whatever the circumstances, when one of those players changes, the whole dynamic of the situation has to change, or at least reset. That can be good."
EDUCATION: Holds associate and bachelor's degrees. Earned a master's degree in public administration in 2001.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: After time in departments in South Carolina and Georgia, spent 20 years as a captain in a suburban Atlanta department. Named Franklin, Tenn., deputy chief in 2002 and elevated to acting chief in April. Certified fire instructor and fire investigator.
