Fire board members: Charges against former chief 'unfounded'
By SHANNON COLAVECCHIO-VAN SICKLER
Published June 3, 2005
Bradley Price, longtime chief of the volunteer Seffner-Mango fire station, is long gone - having resigned in April amid a county inquiry into sexual harassment allegations and his admitted posting of nude pictures on an adult Internet dating site.
But the board of directors of the Seffner-Mango Volunteer Association, which conducted its own disciplinary review, recently gave credence to Price's denial of the alleged misconduct.
After a series of hearings, the board reviewed testimony and evidence and concluded that all but one of the charges brought against Price were "unfounded." There were "untruths and inconsistencies" in documents provided by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue, the board found.
"Hillsborough County Fire Rescue did not apply its standards, orders and penalties consistently," according to the board's report. "Hillsborough County Fire Rescue's degree of discipline administered in this particular case was unreasonable."
Chief William Nesmith has not yet reviewed the report, he said this week. Division Chief Nancy Couch, Hillsborough Fire Rescue's volunteer coordinator, did not return a phone message.
Volunteer firefighter Jackie Smith told county fire administrators that Price pursued her, a violation of county policy that forbids supervisors from dating subordinates. But the board noted that Price asked Couch soon after meeting Smith whether it would be appropriate to pursue a relationship with Smith - and was given the OK.
Smith said Price never touched her, but they went out to dinner and arena football games with other firefighters and by themselves. She claims he forced her to go. He says that's a lie.
Furthermore, the board disputed county fire officials' charge that Price had Smith's vehicle repossessed in retaliation for her reporting his alleged sexual harassment. Price had put his name as a lienholder for the vehicle, and he had the car repossessed the morning of July 17, 2004, the board noted. He said she wasn't making payments on the car.
Smith didn't lodge her sexual harassment claim until that evening, after the car was gone, the board pointed out.
The board agreed with county officials that Price shouldn't have used an official department picture of himself in uniform on an adult Internet site. But board members dispute the county's contention that nude pictures on the site's members-only section were a violation of county policy.
To see the nude pictures, one would have to register on the site, board members said.
"Obviously these images would not be lewd or immoral to the individuals who can access this Web site," the board noted in its report.
PAY INCREASE PROPOSAL: Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee is still negotiating the first-ever union contract for patrol and detention deputies, but he proposes a 5 percent annual wage increase in his budget request to county commissioners.
Col. Gary Terry said the county "is pretty much locked into that" number, but Sheriff's Office and union leaders putting together the contract are looking at other incentives for the more than 1,000 patrol and detention deputies.
Kevin Durkin, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said one option being discussed is to give deputies, detectives and corporals with "accomplishments under their belts" a higher annual wage increase than the 5 percent across-the-board standard.
"Five percent is a baseline," Durkin said. "But it doesn't have to be the only option."
Tampa police officers, who have been unionized for years, have a similar provision in their PBA contract to give higher annual increases to senior officers, Durkin said.
Sheriff's deputies voted last year to unionize, and to date about 800 are dues-paying union members, Durkin said.
There is no deadline to finalize this inaugural contract, but sheriff's and union leaders hope it will be done sooner rather than later.
"There's always a challenge with a contract when you start from scratch," Durkin said. "But we're confident we can reach a resolution."
Said Col. Terry: "However long it takes, we'll do it."
--Contact Shannon Colavecchio-Van Sickler at 813 226-3373 or svansickler@sptimes.com