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Re: New Fire Chief

GI is an Illegitimate Mayor who is in way over her head. This was clearly shown by how she handled the Fire Chief Appointment. She takes orders from Lynnfield and his minions who remain on the Melrose payroll. Van Camp, Mike, Marianne, Patrick and Brigid tell Infurna what to do. HR Long and Infurna have hurt the morale of the fire department, increased Union/Management distrust and tainted Mr. Colina's beginning as the Melrose Fire Chief. I don't know Ed Colina or any of the other Captains who applied for the job. Colina was hurt by the unprofessional process of his appointment. Alderman Forbes showed guts. I hope Scott and the other new BOA folks question, hold Department Heads and other employees accountable and demand transparency. The upcoming budget process is going to be hell and Gail does dot have the skill, ability or knowledge to be the Chief Executive of Melrose. Sad but true when we are in such trouble.

Re: New Fire Chief

I just watched a repeat of last night's meeting. My blood pressure rose when Alderman Forbes stated that the Firefighter's Union asked to observe the interviews ( they did not ask to formally ask questions ) but their request was DENIED! I didn't have much respect for Gail in the past but her "leadership" on the Fire Chief process is beyond belief. DENIED? !!! Well lady mayor, your ignorance of labor law, group dynamics and the mental and physical health and needs of 1st responders is criminal. I thought the many posts labeling GI as an "Illegitimate Mayor" were a bit harsh but now I agree completely. She will be DENIED respect from more people than ever because of her inexperience, ignorance and arrogance.

Re: New Fire Chief

Its refreshing to see Alderman Forbes take a stand and vote his conscious. He went against the Administration and seemed to be okay going down the unpopular path. I give him credit for that. With the amount of turnover thats occured on the BOA, there is a loud cry for leadership! I hope Alderman Forbes continues to take strong positions on important issues. It will be interesting to see how things play out when the budget is presented. I for one will be watching!!!!

Re: New Fire Chief

Alderman Forbes was 100% correct - I just wish others on the BOA were willing to listen.

Re: New Fire Chief

I do know Colina, and he is an unabashed butt kisser. He spent all his time sucking up to Dolan while he was here, and obviously has continued that same practice with Infurna. Dolan wanted the police and fire chiefs in his pocket. He got rid of three police chiefs who wouldn't roll over and play dead for him, and Lyle walks on a razor's edge every day.

I happen to like the police chief. He's a good guy, but he's beholden to the Mayor for his job. The two department heads whose jobs should never be political appointments are just that. I want a qualified professional in both of those jobs, not some butt kisser who is a patronage appointment.

Infurna can't hack it, folks. She's a mouthpiece for Dolan, who is still calling the shots from Lynnfield. Expect nothing else but more of the same. I give Forbes credit for having at least enough gumption to speak up.

Re: New Fire Chief

Why on earth would anyone think that Infurna is qualified to evaluate and select any candidate for fire chief? What's her background in fire science? Lighting candles on a birthday cake?

Re: New Fire Chief

Agreed
Why on earth would anyone think that Infurna is qualified to evaluate and select any candidate for fire chief? What's her background in fire science? Lighting candles on a birthday cake?
That is a great question to ask the 8 Aldermen that voted Yes. Also curious to know how the 2 Aldermen that werent present at the meeting would have voted.

Re: New Fire Chief

I watched this meeting last week and was amazed that Alderman Forbes was the only person to voice an opinion. After hearing what he had to say, I was even more amazed that nobody on the entire BOA voted with him.

I 100% agree that a union representative from the fire department should have been present during the interviews. That way everyone knows there can be no favoritism, and the interviews & questions are conducted the same way. Also, as a hiring manager, Alderman Forbes was absolutely correct when he said to bring in some experienced people to ask candidates questions only they could think of asking.

I am glad to be a Ward 7 resident - thanks Alderman Forbes for speaking up.

How could ANYBODY walking into the position of Mayor be able to pick a Fire Chief with any confidence? She was on the job for only a few weeks!

WOW.

Re: New Fire Chief

"How could ANYBODY walking into the position of Mayor be able to pick a Fire Chief with any confidence? She was on the job for only a few weeks!"

Welcome to Melrose. Be patient, and you will see more of this if it's not entirely hidden.

Re: New Fire Chief

And now Illegitimate Gail is calling for an OVERRIDE ! ? She was told what to do regarding hiring the Fire Chief by the HR Director, ML, and RD on his daily instruction call from Lynnfield. No, she is not qualified to be Mayor.

Re: New Fire Chief

New to Melrose
I watched this meeting last week and was amazed that Alderman Forbes was the only person to voice an opinion. After hearing what he had to say, I was even more amazed that nobody on the entire BOA voted with him.

I 100% agree that a union representative from the fire department should have been present during the interviews. That way everyone knows there can be no favoritism, and the interviews & questions are conducted the same way. Also, as a hiring manager, Alderman Forbes was absolutely correct when he said to bring in some experienced people to ask candidates questions only they could think of asking.

I am glad to be a Ward 7 resident - thanks Alderman Forbes for speaking up.

How could ANYBODY walking into the position of Mayor be able to pick a Fire Chief with any confidence? She was on the job for only a few weeks!

WOW.
She was an alderman for 20 years.

Re: New Fire Chief

Educate the newbie
New to Melrose
I watched this meeting last week and was amazed that Alderman Forbes was the only person to voice an opinion. After hearing what he had to say, I was even more amazed that nobody on the entire BOA voted with him.

I 100% agree that a union representative from the fire department should have been present during the interviews. That way everyone knows there can be no favoritism, and the interviews & questions are conducted the same way. Also, as a hiring manager, Alderman Forbes was absolutely correct when he said to bring in some experienced people to ask candidates questions only they could think of asking.

I am glad to be a Ward 7 resident - thanks Alderman Forbes for speaking up.

How could ANYBODY walking into the position of Mayor be able to pick a Fire Chief with any confidence? She was on the job for only a few weeks!

WOW.
She was an alderman for 20 years.
Yeah, I knew she was the longest tenured person on the Board of Alderman, however, going from the BOA to the Mayor's Office is a pretty significant change in responsibilities IMO. And being tasked to pick a new fire chief without bringing anybody in to assist casts a shadow on the hiring process. It is common hiring practice to organize a panel people with the technical expertise to assist and validate the candidate who is eventually hired.

It seems strange this wasn't done... if it were then we probably are not having this conversation :)

Re: New Fire Chief

The players involved in this fiasco = Ugly process

Re: New Fire Chief

1. The differences between the roles of a mayor and an Alderman are irrelevant to your argument. You asked how someone could walk into the mayor’s office and hire a fire chief with any confidence. By being an Alderman for 20 years is how. The Aldermen work closely with city departments and particularly public safety.

2. Many people were consulted, including 2 former fire chiefs. Not to mention the “panel” with ultimate authority - the board of Alderman. Anyone could have weighed in there if they had a problem. Did you?

Re: New Fire Chief

Educate the newbie
1. The differences between the roles of a mayor and an Alderman are irrelevant to your argument. You asked how someone could walk into the mayor’s office and hire a fire chief with any confidence. By being an Alderman for 20 years is how. The Aldermen work closely with city departments and particularly public safety.

2. Many people were consulted, including 2 former fire chiefs. Not to mention the “panel” with ultimate authority - the board of Alderman. Anyone could have weighed in there if they had a problem. Did you?

1. If the aldermen worked closely with the public safety departments for 20yrs.

We would have new public safety buildings!

2.The mayor made the choice. To listen to the former Mayor! 🚒

Re: New Fire Chief

The point about the lack of new public safety buildings was all that needed to be said to discredit the previous poster!

Re: New Fire Chief

Such a straw man. (And a MM favorite!) The age and need of the buildings has nothing to do with whether the city government has day to day contact with the members of the public safety departments in the course of the work they do. There is a recognized building need that must be addressed, yes. That is a completely separate point from the fact that communication happens in the day to day work of a city’s operations. (And before you go there - yes the quality of the building impacts police and fire operations, but it doesn’t mean they do it without communicating with other city departments, aldermen included)

Re: New Fire Chief

Educate the newbie
1. The differences between the roles of a mayor and an Alderman are irrelevant to your argument. You asked how someone could walk into the mayor’s office and hire a fire chief with any confidence. By being an Alderman for 20 years is how. The Aldermen work closely with city departments and particularly public safety.

2. Many people were consulted, including 2 former fire chiefs. Not to mention the “panel” with ultimate authority - the board of Alderman. Anyone could have weighed in there if they had a problem. Did you?
If you go back to and listen to Alderman Forbes remarks he was 100 percent correct that the process could have and should have been better. The Mayor speaking to Chief Leary and Chief O'Brien is great, this feedback can certainly be used in her evaluation. However, the fact that no candidate was asked a single question by anybody with fire fighting experience is a huge red flag - people that dont work in the field cannot ask the appropriate questions that determine who is best suited for the job. That "panel" is critcal in the hiring process, and was used when Chief Leary was hired and when Chief O'Brien took the Hudson NH job.

Also not having a union rep in the room to make sure each candidate was asked the same questions and all the interviews were done in the same fashion was a mistake. It creates doubt, and could have been avoided if done the right way. Forbes was right pointing this out.

The BOA votes yes or no on the candidate selected by the Mayor, however, the process the Mayor took in making her selection was flawed. Alderman Forbes NO vote was the right choice, and speaks volumes to those who serve in the Melrose FD.

Re: New Fire Chief

Gail doesn't have a clue about executive decisions. She is routinely told what to do by Dolan and his minions. HR Long is one of the biggest posers. She broke Union and HR protocols. GI wouldn't know the difference. Long should know the difference unless she has worked for the City of Melrose so long that she has lost all perspective regarding ethical employment practices. Long and PDR aren't trustworthy and GI is just their puppet.

Re: New Fire Chief

I was impressed to hear at last nights meeting that Alderman Forbes recently took a tour of the 3 fire stations, and seems to be taking a position that the needs of our public safety buildings should be addressed immediately. I am ALL for that!
The quality of these buildings are dreadful, and plans to renovate or rebuild have been pushed back time and time again. It was encouraging to hear several people on the BOA speak up and finally start to talk about critical needs of the fire department.

Although Forbes didnt support Collinas appointment, he reached out nonetheless to visit each of the fire stations. That shows a lot in my opinion - that he is more interested in solutions and moving things forward. For that, Alderman Forbes has earned my respect.

Re: New Fire Chief

Forbes was not against Colina the person. He voted against the process of the appointment which violated the best practices of HR and Union standards. The fact that he reached out to the new Chief and toured the three Fire Stations shows commitment and judgement.

Re: New Fire Chief

Alderman Forbes has earned my respect.

Re: New Fire Chief

I'm happy to see somebody on the BOA is making an attempt to keep the conversation of our public safety buildings at the forefront. The schools will be taking center stage from now until March (its already started), and all the issues regarding public safety will be forgotten yet again

Alderman Forbes was smart to tour these facilities now, and its my hope that he advocates for both Police & Fire Departments when it won't be the popular choice

I really hope Forbes doesn't cave under the pressure that will definitely be coming his way. A true test of leadership

Re: New Fire Chief

GI has a reputation of being a mean girl and bullied often while an Alderman. There will be numerous attempts to stop Forbes and MacMaster for standing up for Public Safety. If MZ, MM and JT want to be Mayor, they need to show leadership as well and help design multiple override questions for all city government needs for November 2019.

Re: New Fire Chief

Bully Pulpit
GI has a reputation of being a mean girl and bullied often while an Alderman. There will be numerous attempts to stop Forbes and MacMaster for standing up for Public Safety. If MZ, MM and JT want to be Mayor, they need to show leadership as well


I agree with you all the way up to there.

Bully Pulpit
and help design multiple override questions for all city government needs for November 2019.


That part not so much. Until someone shows enough leadership to put an end to the chaos at the money pit school department, I would never even consider voting for an override, especially if it includes more money for the schools. Period.

Re: New Fire Chief

Illegitimate Gail
Gail doesn\\\'t have a clue about executive decisions. She is routinely told what to do by Dolan and his minions. HR Long is one of the biggest posers. She broke Union and HR protocols. GI wouldn\\\'t know the difference. Long should know the difference unless she has worked for the City of Melrose so long that she has lost all perspective regarding ethical employment practices. Long and PDR aren\\\'t trustworthy and GI is just their puppet.
Why did Dolan leave the way he did is the million dollar question. Seems like the Hoover school principal left the same time Dolan did one went to Lynnfield one went to Lexington. Now you figure it out...