Chief’s absence leaves vacuum
Fire Department officials say duties going uncompletedBy KAYLEIGH KARUTIS, The Leader-Herald
GLOVERSVILLE - City Fire Chief Douglas Edwards, who is battling brain cancer, will take an extended leave until September, but it's unclear how his duties will be completed at the department.
Edwards informed city officials he would be using three weeks of vacation time and three weeks of sick time until mid-September. Edwards said he is undergoing several cancer treatments, and he needs to devote his attention to his own health.
"The department was my life forever," he said. "I've always looked out for them. It's hard because I basically lived there, and now I don't have that. But I'm trying to put some priority on myself."
Without a person appointed to serve as interim chief, Edwards said, he is concerned that his work will not be completed when he is gone. Weeks ago, the city had appointed Battalion Chief Beth Whitman-Putnam as interim chief, but it withdrew the appointment after it became clear that Edwards was still spending a large amount of time doing his work at the department.
Whitman-Putnam said she also is concerned about Edwards' work being completed. She said there are duties at the department that can be performed only by the chief.
"The battalion chiefs have their duties, but [the chief's] duties are something entirely different," she said. "There is great concern. Unfortunately, we had a system in place but
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[city officials] opted to do away with that."
When they withdrew Whitman-Putnam's interim chief status and extra pay, city officials said they simply could not afford to pay two people to do one job. Whitman-Putnam received approximately $4,500 for about three and a half weeks of work as chief.
That was on top of her regular salary of about $26 an hour. City officials said at the same time, Edwards was working upward of 50 hours a week, and they could not afford to keep Whitman-Putnam on as interim chief.
Now, though, without an interim chief and with Edwards absent, Mayor Dayton King said he will be doing much of the administrative work that is crucial to the running of the Fire Department. He added he would like to see the battalion chiefs in the department "step up" and contribute to getting Edwards' work done, without any extra pay.
"We all need to pitch in," he said. "All I am asking is for the battalion chiefs, some of whom have worked with [Edwards] for 20 years, to step up and, without extra pay, pitch in."
King said he will sign payroll orders and will ask that administrative approvals or decisions in the department be forwarded to him.
Paying someone the chief's wage while at the same time paying the chief himself and the interim chief's regular pay is just too steep a price, he said.
"I'll do what needs to be done in the chief's absence," he said. "With the city in the financial mess it is, how can we afford to pay [for an interim chief]?"
King added he is happy Edwards is taking time off to focus on himself and his family.
He said he plans to spend a 24-hour shift at the fire station, observing the firefighters in their daily duties, to better learn about the functioning of the department.
Second Ward Councilman John Castiglione said he sees no problem having King oversee the chief's duties instead of paying for an interim chief.
"There is a financial strain taking over here," he said. "We have battalion chiefs and captains on duty over there who will take care of the fire end of things. The mayor is the chief executive officer of the city, and ultimately, he's in charge of and responsible for every department in the city."
Kayleigh Karutis covers Gloversville news. She can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com.
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bleeckermel
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08-07-10 9:05 AM
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I've been trying to get help to NO AVAIL Please Stop by the Kiszka Ice Cream Business located at 35 First Ave. Pigeons Live in the Roof, Home Purchased for ONE thousand Dollars in 2002-ROOF STILL OPEN WITH PIGEONS!!YUMMY!
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JudyMarcoux
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08-03-10 3:58 PM
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You know PAFW, you are right in some instances, but if one is going to viciously attack someone, they should do it under their own name and suffer the consequences, don't you think ? To me, that is a coward.
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proudairforcewife
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08-03-10 2:28 PM
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Judy- I would not go as far as saying people who do not give out their real name on here are cowards. This is a CRAZY world we live in and there have been instances in parts of the world where people do NOT agree with what one another posts and it has lead to criminal acts. I am a fan of people remaining anonymous if they so choose! It does not in any way make them a coward. It honestly does not matter who is posting what...if you agree with them great, if you don't agree with them...is it going to matter who wrote it?
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JudyMarcoux
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08-03-10 11:05 AM
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Nice post. You can and should be sued unless you can actually prove Mr. Whitman is/was a crook. Anonymous posters have are nothing but cowards.
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Cynthia
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08-02-10 10:37 AM
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needstosleep: Your silence in response to residentdmg (Perhaps you can enlighten us and tell us all the good things he has accomplished since taking office.) is deafening.
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residentdmg
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08-01-10 8:09 PM
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needstosleep:Yes, you can "protect" the Mayor all you want,and others have the right to question,criticize and even disagree with him without being called "negative". Perhaps you can enlighten us and tell us all the good things he has accomplished since taking office.
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needstosleep
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08-01-10 12:21 PM
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residentdmg: I can protect him all i want. He's doing a great job. People need to be mature adults and see things for what they are rather than always turning every issue into a negative. Cynthia: regardless of who i am doesn't matter. I speak the truth and from the heart.
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residentdmg
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08-01-10 10:15 AM
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needstosleep: For goodness sake,chill out!!! Mayor King is a big boy and can defend himself.
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Cynthia
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08-01-10 8:01 AM
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Speaking of "growing up", at least I'm not afraid to use my own name. Halligan has used that handle forever and has identified himself many times so I am not referring to him nor am I referring to 3rdWard Councilman, needstosleep, The next time you change your handle perhaps you should try some such thing as "Mrsecretary".
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proudairforcewife
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07-31-10 11:26 PM
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I've read the story and want to thank Mr. Edwards for his dedication to our city and the Fire Department. I'm sure it was a tough decision for him to make on whether or not to take some time off. Hats off to you Mr. Edwards for doing the right thing for yourself, your family, and your job. In a situation like this, priorities must be in order. It would be unfair of Mr. Edwards to try and focus on his job when it is clear he has other things on his mind. I commend him for stepping up and taking care of business first. If he can concentrate on himself and better his health, it would benefit the community to have him back at work when he is READY! Although many people ONLY post comments on here to gather attention to themselves or to start an argument I would rather extend my gratefulness to Mr. Edwards and wish him well with this terrible battle he is trying to overcome.
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123mom
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07-31-10 10:36 PM
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Off topic but related. Tripple dog dare Mayor King to do WEEK of garbge collection in the heat of Summer. His week of experience was when it was "cold". Not frigid and he needs to experience the heat, maggots, roaches and bag-less containers filled to the brim and lift and heave it all into the truck. Then brush the vermin off. He shouldn't be thinking he's capable of interfering in any dept. Mean while I hope to hear he's riding and picking garbage, needs to round out the experience.
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needstosleep
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07-31-10 9:37 PM
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"Speaking of "moving on", perhaps it is time the 3rd Ward Councilman moved on" Grow up Cynthia, he's allowed his opinion as much as you are your. And in all actuality, his is more positive and usually makes more common sense..
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JudyMarcoux
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07-31-10 9:32 PM
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Are you some kind of Fire Chief DJ ? As for the "sour grapes", allow me to put that BS to rest. When I was not elected the only thing I felt was relief. I wanted to drop out after I defeated Hughes in the primary, as that was my reason for running in the first place, to rid the city of him. So no bitterness, no sour grapes. In my opinion, the wrong person was elected Mayor. This young man is in way over his head.
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ChiefDJ
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07-31-10 8:55 PM
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Doesn't the Mayor still work at the Wal-Mart DC? If so, how does he find time to put in 60 hours per week for the city? Don't spread yourself to thin, Mr. Mayor, or you'll look a lot older than your years when your term(s) is (are) up. He is trying to help the city, and the Chief out. The Battalion Chiefs are still around to perform their duties. The Chief doesn't do everything (I doubt even "payrol".....there is probably a department and staff that handles payroll for all city employee's.) In the best interest of the city, the Chief should retire (I "assume" he is eligible). I am sure he will still have his health insurance coverage as a retiree. It is best for the city to appoint a new chief, preferably from within, if there is someone qualified for the job. Sounds like some sour grapes are being cast upon the Mayor by some posters.
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sickofbills
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07-31-10 8:28 PM
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i hope the chief gets better,i dont know him,but good luck
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Halligan
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07-31-10 8:16 PM
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Part 3 - Another thing to consider is many of the decisions that need to be made dont always happen during "business hours" in an emergency services department. I cant tell you the number of late night phone calls that I recieved over the years. Most required an immediate decision from someone with the experience, knowledge, training and authority to make the decision. There often is not time to wait, do research, debate it at a council meeting, etc. Most importaantly these decisions need to be made by someone who has the authority to make them and to accept the responsibility that comes with making the decision. The Battalion Chiefs dont have the authority to make many of the decisions. It is unfair to put them in that position. Besides they do have civil service and contract language covering their duties and responsibilities. Being forced to work outside of their scope of responsibility may just prompt a lawsuit or leave the city liable in the event that they do exceed th
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Halligan
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07-31-10 8:01 PM
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Part 2 - I understand what Mayor King is trying to do. I can not fault his good intentions. I just think that he may be in over his head on this. I am sure he will try to do the best he can. But the truth of the matter is their is more to being a department head, any department head, than signing payroll. I am sure the Battalion Chiefs have already stepped up in this unfortunate situation. However, there still needs to be one boss. Someone that has the final say and accepts the responsibility of making the decisions. There is no continuity otherwise and it leads to nothing but problems. The little bit of money that is potentially going to be saved will probably not even to begin to cover the legal battles that may come from someone that is not familiar with things like civil service law, contract administration, grievance procedures, improper practice charges, federal and state laws, NFPA standards, OSHA standards, etc running a department in which all of these things are prevelant.
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Cynthia
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07-31-10 7:58 PM
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Sorry for the double post.
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Cynthia
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07-31-10 7:55 PM
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King said he will sign payroll orders and will ask that administrative approvals or decisions in the department be forwarded to him. The last time the Mayor messed with an administrative decision in the FD, doing away with EMT runs,as I understand it, that decision ended up costing the City money instead of saving money.No one should attempt to administer what they know nothing about.
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Cynthia
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07-31-10 7:55 PM
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King said he will sign payroll orders and will ask that administrative approvals or decisions in the department be forwarded to him. The last time the Mayor messed with an administrative decision in the FD, doing away with EMT runs,as I understand it, that decision ended up costing the City money instead of saving money.No one should attempt to administer what they know nothing about.
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Halligan
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07-31-10 7:49 PM
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Judy - I am not trying to be critical of Mayor King. I am just not sure if he has thought this through or not. If Chief Edwards, who is familiar with the operations of the department, has to work 40 plus hours a week to complete his duties, how is the Mayor going to do it on top of all his other responsibilities. Sure he can sign payroll, but does he know what he is signing? Does he know how to prepare it with the multitude of different pay rates, hours worked, etc.? Is he going to keep tract of contractual time off for everyone and how its used or if they are even entitled to it? If a contractual matter such as a grievance or a disciplinary matter comes up does he know how to handle it in accordance with the contract, civil service rules, state and federal law, etc.? These are only a couple of things off the top of my head. Who is going to prepare the budget for the FD? Its usually due around now.
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Cynthia
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07-31-10 7:44 PM
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Speaking of "moving on", perhaps it is time the 3rd Ward Councilman moved on.
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3rdWardCouncil
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07-31-10 5:18 PM
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That's "time to move on", sorry
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3rdWardCouncil
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07-31-10 5:17 PM
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With all due respect to Chief Edwards, he is dedicated to his job and family, it is time to ieve on. I think the Chief should resign and let the city appoint a new Chief that is capable and able to perform the duties of Chief. It would also be an opportunity to bring someone in at an entry Chief salary and benefits package. I have seen and worked with these types of health problems in the workplace and it is my belief the situation will not get any better, only worse. It would be in the best interests of the Chief to retire and spend his time with his family and put as little stress on his health situation as possible and enjoy his retirement. It would also be in the best interests of the city.
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JudyMarcoux
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07-31-10 4:02 PM
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He claims he works 60 hours a week Riv. I have heard the same complaint about his unavailability from more than one person though.
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