During a special meeting Tuesday afternoon, the Chelsea Area Fire Authority Board (CAFA) voted 3-2 to “review and approve, by majority vote, the hiring and termination, promotion or demotion of all CAFA employees presented by the chief with documentation.”
The motion was made by Board Member Craig Maier, the Lima Township supervisor and the township’s board representative.
Maier said he’d never worked for an organization (either the military or the City of Chelsea) where one person had total control, adding Payeur had the board to accept that responsibility.
“It’s not fair to put it all on his back,” Maier said, adding that the chief had the board’s support and they would review and either approve or deny a personnel decision.
Maier, Jamie Bollinger, the at-large member of the board, and John Francis, the Lyndon Township representative, voted in favor of the motion.
Board Chairman Rod Anderson, Chelsea‘s board representative, and Kurt Koseck, Sylvan Township‘s representative, voted against the resolution.
The re-vote follows a similar action taken last week, when the board voted 2-1 with two abstentions on a motion that stated the authority board “has the authority over final approval of the hiring and firing, promoting and demoting of all CAFA personnel.”
Bollinger said that removing all the chief’s authority was not what the board’s intent really was — if he presented a strong case for his personnel decisions, then he just needed to bring it to the board.
Both votes give the board final review of all personnel matters, a duty that was previously the responsibility of Fire Chief Jim Payeur.
Prior to the vote, Payeur read a letter to the board that stated he’s been a “fire service administrator since 1985,” and had always had a “very professional relationship with board members,” both at CAFA and with a fire board from another state.
He said when problems came up, “They gave me the professional respect by calling me; would find out the facts; identify the problem, and we worked together to repair them.”
Recently, however, Payeur said he’d “never been treated so disrespectfully and had never seen problem employees allowed to steer the ship,” adding that board members were allowing his “chain of command to be thrown out the window.”
He said there was “a smear and slander campaign” taking place by one shift of firefighters.
“We know for a fact that members of this department have been providing the news media, board members and other fire departments with slanderous comments about this department and me,” he said.
The department has been having personnel issues following a failed 7-4 union vote of the firefighters earlier this year.
Payeur said both his name and other “names of good, honest people in this department have been smeared.”
He said that honesty and trust have been broken (in the department) and although it can be repaired, it will take hard work and leadership.
Some firefighters have said they’ve hired legal representation and some fear for their jobs following interviews with members of the board’s personnel, policy and procedures committee, which is working on a new employee handbook.
Anderson tried to change the membership of the committee at the meeting, but the move was defeated, 3-2.
Maier, Bollinger and Francis voted against the motion and Anderson and Koseck voted in favor of it.
At a Chelsea City Council meeting later Tuesday night, Anderson updated elected officials about the situation during board reports, and called the vote “stripping the chief of all powers,” adding that he was “extremely concerned” about what was happening in the fire department.
City Manger John Hanifan said since the city was a major stakeholder of the fire service, the situation was something that “We need to diligently watch,” and he suggested the possibility of a future work session with the CAFA board.
I think if you don’t establish a Chain of Command starting with the “boss” down to the “newbies” then anyone can grab the wheel and steer the ship. I don’t understand why a whole shift of “problem Employees” would petition for a Union? Union’s offer fairness and equality as a group, rather than going about it alone you “collectively bargain”. Chelseaupdate.com reported 6 petitions for a Union with 12 employees but it was voted down 7-4? Someone didn’t vote? Has Rod spoke directly with these men to make such a statement? So many questions?
Other than Rod Anderson’s motion, I think the CAFA Board is accepting responsibility for the Citizens covered by CAFA and making a strong effort to fix the problem.