OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Council members voted 4-3 in favor Monday night for Mayor Rick Meehan to send a letter to Volunteer Fire Chief Chris Larmore requesting he serve as interim fire chief for the entire town with the condition that he step down from his position in the volunteer fire company, as proposed by Council President Joe Mitrecic.
"I was up until 11 o'clock last night working on this," he said. "Everything in here was basically discussed at the last council meeting."
During last week's work session Larmore made a presentation to the council on the previous memorandum of understanding between the town and the volunteer fire company when it was expressed that one fire chief was desired.
Larmore volunteered for this position until a nationwide search could be done to find someone with the experience for the position. The council's vote was split at the time, three in favor, three against and one abstention.
Meehan and council members Mary Knight and Lloyd Martin agreed with Mitrecic's proposal.
"This has been an extremely trying week for all of us," Knight said. "He really does represent and is responsible for the wishes of his members and this would take him out of that responsibility and his only responsibility would be to the people serving as our paid and volunteer firefighters."
But some members of the council felt the recommendation came out of the blue.
"I would have liked to read and understand this proposition beforehand," said Councilwoman Margaret Pillas.
And Councilman Jim Hall said he just could not agree with the condition Mitrecic listed.
"I agree with you 95 percent," he said. "I think this serves both the volunteer firefighters, the paid staff and the mayor and council, but why would you ask this man to step down as fire chief from the volunteer fire company, which he was unanimously voted as. He works for free, I might add."
Meehan said being promoted to an administrative position that would oversee both paid and volunteer firefighters would require Larmore to be impartial.
"I really think it is in Chris's best interest to resign if he takes the job as chief of the entire fire service," Meehan said. "What I do not want to see is him put in an awkward position."
Bruce Leiner, one of the many community members who spoke during the meeting, presented a solution.
"This is an interim position, there is no reason for him to step down," he said. "The proposal could require that if his position were to last, say, more than a year, then he would have to step down. But do not let everyone walk out of here divided tonight."
Regardless of the requirement to step down from his position as chief of the volunteer fire company, Larmore said what he really wanted was support from elected officials that would not allow the discussion to end in a divide.
"I would like the council to continue with this but I would like to take a 7-0 vote back to my membership to discuss this issue with them," he said.
But the council could not provide that.
"We can't play to a room full of people, we have to play to the 7,000 people who live here," said Councilwoman Nancy Howard. "We did have an agreement and it was working, and I say we go back to that and work as quickly as we can to getting a paid chief in here."
Larmore will discuss the written letter from Meehan with his membership and return to the council to rehash the situation in the future.
Republished with permission of The Daily Times.
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