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Sedona Fire District Board Acts on Fire Chief Selection

Sedona AZ (February 7, 2012) – Without comment, the SedonaEye.com is providing the Sedona Fire District community the Draft Minutes of the February 1, 2012 SFD Special Board Meeting:

~ DRAFT ~ SPECIAL BOARD MEETING

SFD Station #1 – Multipurpose Room, 2860 Southwest Drive, Sedona – Public Session Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa – Conference Room, 2250 W. Highway 89A, Sedona – Executive Session Wednesday, February 1, 2012 / 4:00 PM

~ MINUTES ~ 1. Call to Order/Roll Call.

Board Present: David Blauert – Chairman; Charles Christensen – Clerk; Craig Dible – Member Board Absent: Phyllis Erick and Ty Montgomery – Members

Others Present: Terry Keller, Interim Fire Chief Gary Johnson, Fire Marshal Karen Daines, Business Director Tricia Greer, Recording Clerk Carla Dufort, Administrative Lead Approximately 18 Members of the Public

2. Salute to the Flag of the United States of America and Moment of Silence to Honor Men and Women in Service to Our Country. Charlie Christensen led the Pledge of Allegiance and Moment of Silence.

3. Public Forum.

David Blauert asked that this item be moved down in the Agenda and was addressed after Item #6. Mr. Blauert stated no personal or Board attacks would be tolerated.

The following addressed the Board:

Karen Schmitt, Chapel Area: I really am not very well prepared because I thought about it in the car on the way over here, but I was thinking how the Board wants to run this fire department as a business. In business, when somebody is let go, very often, they take your password and walk you to the door. We’re not doing that with this Board. It’s much more lengthy – the process. And, indeed, I noticed that this Board is not only continuing to do their own agenda, but to make sure they do it quickly and they’re accelerating the way of doing everything they want to do.

For example, I’ve said it many times to you personally and otherwise; what is the big hurry about getting a Chief today? We went a long, long time without Chief Hazime and nobody complained. We have a perfectly capable Interim Chief. But, we’re in a big hurry to get a Chief. We were in a big hurry to go into the audit, and so we didn’t get people that were qualified in the opinion of many. In all fairness, I want you to think about this.

Every one of you lives in this community. You all have a reputation that, I think, you want to keep. At least most of you are concerned about your reputation. Please keep this in mind as you try to ramrod through your agenda before you leave this Board. You will long be remembered… or, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, to paraphrase him, ‘You will long be remembered for what you did here’. It’s time to think of your legacy. Don’t let your name be a toxic one to the citizens of Arizona after you leave. Thank you.

Scott Jablow, Sedona: A while ago, I went through Dave and Phyllis’ old campaign flyers and Internet sites and found two statements that really made me laugh, now a year and a half later. I would like to remind you of the following quotes that appeared in the Sedona Eye on August 31, 2010.

Mr. Blauert, you are quoted as saying, ‘Common sense is at the head’. Mrs. Erick, you were quoted as saying, ‘It’s about accountability’. The article continued that, ‘the candidates state they want to run the Sedona Fire District efficiently and with accountability. It is their belief that the public has a right to honest information and to know that their money is being spent wisely’. My question to the Board is, when are these promises going to happen?

Mr. Blauert, common sense doesn’t mean polarizing the Board from the firefighters, department staff, and the community. Common sense doesn’t mean not embracing, not listening, and not working with your Executive staff and learning from the very best that Sedona has to offer. I hope that you didn’t think that common sense means not selecting Terry Keller because the community stands behind him as the most qualified and deserving member of the Sedona Fire District for the position of (continued)

Sedona Fire District Special Meeting Minutes February 1, 2012 Page 2

Chief. I guess you really missed that mark. Didn’t you? I’m not done. After all, how much money has been wasted for the Search Committee? Oh, that’s right, up until today it was a big secret how much was being spent. Let me see, airfare, lodging, meals, transportation of the candidates, and the assessment staff of how many, nobody knows because that information has not been forthcoming. Let’s not forget the legal fees of what just came out, $5,000 is in question for the legal fees? OK, that’s for the attorney to handle the meetings. What are the billable hours? Wasn’t it last week’s meeting that you were trying to impress the public with how you were trying to cut back on legal fees, and that’s just taking from one line item and charging it to another line item.

All that taxpayer money could have been saved if the Board chose Terry Keller from the beginning. What a waste of money. I have to ask you, when was that common sense or spending money wisely going to happen? I haven’t seen it yet. Now, let’s talk about accountability. I have sat through many Board meetings and grew angry hearing this Board make disparaging and false statements about the staff to justify the need for the McGladrey forensic audit.

Well, lo and behold, all those statements never materialized, did they? As a responsible Board, don’t you think your staff deserves an apology from this Board?

I also believe that our community deserves an apology for your wasting $195,000 of our taxpayer money. Are we ever going to get it? I doubt it from this Board. After all, what did McGladrey really find that your own professional and dedicated staff couldn’t find?

Still, I’d like to understand how you could have even hired McGladrey in the first place. Since they were the highest bidder and the least qualified.

This Board has become a joke within the Verde Valley, with the wasteful spending and the allegations against staff, and let’s not forget the Attorney General’s investigation. In case no one’s told you, you have been recalled. OK? In other words, the taxpayers have said that they no longer have confidence in you and your work and the way you’re running this district. I think that everyone can see the damage you’ve done to this district; except you. Now, for the first time, you can start being accountable and use that common sense that Dave and Phyllis campaigned with and please stop. Just stop this nonsense already. Stop embarrassing yourselves. Fire Marshal Johnson indicated his time was up and asked him to complete his sentence. Mr. Jablow continued: These comments are my own and do not represent any of the organizations or City Boards that I am a part of. Thank you.

Karen Strauch, Chapel Area: I’m so upset. I hope I can get through what I want to say. It’s absolutely unbelievable that this Search Committee could pass over Interim Chief Terry Keller and not allow him the courtesy of competing with the top selected candidates. He has guided this district through a time of great turmoil. He reached out to you as Board Members, trying to be a bridge between the philosophy of the public and the Board. He has dealt with issues with integrity. I have personally heard you, Mr. Blauert, sing his praises at the OLLI forum. Sing his praises.

Do you not value the loyalty Chief Keller has exhibited to this district to treat him with the courtesy he deserves? I can only believe that this Search Committee, which was chosen only by the Board, and under the sway of Mr. Demme, has a very narrow scope of what they want in a Chief and I fear it is not in the interest of the public good. Thank you.

Wendy Tanzer, VOC: In the three minutes permitted by Public Forum protocol, I will take the opportunity to express my outrage regarding the members of this Board’s deplorable treatment of Interim Fire Chief Terry Keller. Failure to provide what should have been nothing more than the most common of professional courtesies from this shameless majority and from its appointed committee chairman comes as no surprise. In your abated zeal to complete this none-too-hidden agenda before being unseated at the will of the people, you either overlook or trample upon every single contributor without whose service you would be unable to function.

Chief Keller was appointed to the position of Interim Fire Chief during one of the most tumultuous times in the history of the SFD. His unwavering service to this district, his willingness to work and cooperate with an adversarial and divisive Board, and his professionalism will never be forgotten by a grateful citizenry. Month after month he has attended these meetings, held his head high, and remained steadfast in the face of this Board’s rejection of his efforts and his recommendations. He has defended SFD employees from attacks from those of you who supposedly govern, but operate well beyond the scope of your authority. Your own astonishing lack of (continued)

Sedona Fire District Special Meeting Minutes February 1, 2012 Page 3

professionalism speaks more clearly as to why you do not belong at the head of this table, than it ever could speak to the quality and unquestionable loyalty of Chief Keller’s performance.

After 23 years of service to this community, Chief Keller deserved so much more than a letter or a phone call to which he eluded last week in his presentation. Considering your comments during several meetings, he has never failed to meet every possible requirement including verifiable performance and ascension through these very ranks you have indicated necessary for your next Chief. Yet, you failed to provide so much as a meeting, the very least you could have done to explain your position or your reasoning to the man who has always had your backs. To put another potential leader through the kind of hell only you people are capable of inflicting would be a crime.

I hope any and every person considering the position of SFD Fire Chief takes a good long look at the Board meeting Minutes and realizes there is no room for genuine leadership under your reign. Thank you, Chief Keller, for everything you have managed to accomplish under these untenable circumstances. You, sir, are the best.

Hank Kirsch, West Sedona: Before moving to Sedona in 1999, I spent 30 years in corporate America. I was a Senior Vice President for a major pharmaceutical company. During those 30 years, I attended numerous Board meetings and actually served on a Board of a small start-up company in California. In those 30 years, I have never seen a Board act as irresponsibly as this Board.

These comments are not directed at you, Mr. Montgomery.

You have absolutely no respect for the community that you are elected to serve. I have attended many of your meetings and the worst one was the last one. You paid approximately $190,000 to McGladrey to perform an unneeded audit. The McGladrey presentation was a joke. For $190,000, I expected a much more professional presentation than the one we got. However, the worst part of the meeting was near the end when Interim Chief Terry Keller announced he had not been contacted by the Chief Selection Committee and he was not being asked to attend the Assessment Center being held over the weekend. I was shocked to hear that and from the response of others in this room, I think 99% of the other people here were shocked also.

How could the Selection Committee treat Chief Keller with such disrespect? Here is a man who spent nearly 24 years of his life dedicated to this fire district and this community. He has an in-depth knowledge of the fire department, he knows the geography, the topography, and everything there is to know about the district. Where are you going to get that kind of experience and knowledge?

The Selection Committee has been totally unprofessional in your actions. We heard earlier in a letter that was presented that you actually added new criteria at the last meeting. You adopted a grid that added things such as PhD degree, MBA degree, the ability to speak a foreign language to the requirements for the job.

Did you notify the 40 or so applicants of these changes? I expect not, particularly after hearing the letter that was presented earlier. The actions of the Selection Committee were disgraceful. You have embarrassed the fire district locally and throughout the firefighter community, as you heard in that letter presented earlier.

I ask that the entire Selection Committee step down tonight. Let a new Board select the new Chief and put an end to this craziness. Thank you.

Phyllis Erick made the public aware the grid used by the Committee was presented by Firefighter Brent Johnson; she said it was not modified and if the public has an issue with the grid, she suggested they contact the district.

Mr. Kirsch commented he believes the Committee should be contacted because they are the ones that used it and did not inform the applicants it was being used.

Mrs. Erick said the Committee accommodated Firefighter Johnson in that issue.

Mr. Blauert said from what he understands, although he has not seen the matrix and had no knowledge of who made or did not make it to the finals until this morning, it was used in order to clarify selection of applicants.

Mr. Kirsch stated the Committee, basically, changed the criteria it was using to select the new Chief and did not notify any of the applicants it was being done.

Mr. Blauert said the information from their applications was used in the matrix. He said he was not to be included or involved in the process because he is part of the selection; an audience member stated if that is the case and for consistency, Mrs. Erick should not be part of the selection since she was on the committee.

Mr. Blauert called for order.

Sedona Fire District Special Meeting Minutes February 1, 2012 Page 4

4. Letter from Fire Chief Applicant F. David Burke Jr. to Fire Board. (Ty Montgomery)

Ty Montgomery stated the Fire Board received an e-mail from one of the Fire Chief applicants, David Burke; Mr. Burke asked for the following letter to be read into the Minutes:

Members of the Sedona Fire District Board: I was an applicant in your recent fire chief recruitment process and was very excited about the prospect of relocating to such a beautiful area and was eagerly awaiting a reply to my post office acknowledged delivery of my application packet. Until today I was not aware of the status of your search and only through meeting videos of your board meetings was I able to determine that you had narrowed your selection and begun the assessment center process.

Apparently, you have only been in contact with your finalists as I have not received any communication from you. This in itself is indicative of the dysfunction in your process as every applicant deserves some type of timely notice despite their ranking.

Additionally, there were some modifications to the selection criteria that were made outside of the posted values. An example of such included mystery points for speaking a foreign language while your job description spoke nothing of it as a preferred skill; all done under the questionable veil of an executive session.

Further, the time-line for accepting applications was riddled with controversy to the point that the job notice remained posted on the International Fire Chief’s Association Daily Dispatch for weeks beyond all of the different closing dates.

Over my career, I have been involved with several recruitment campaigns and found that the most successful were those that placed a priority on a transparent process with good communication at all steps and levels. These, along with other missteps, do not represent well to those of us outside your district. These videos yielded many other insights into the workings of your board that should alarm your members to the same degree as some of your vocal citizens.

It is painfully obvious that the board itself is completely out of sync with the community that it serves. These screams of the public seem to fall upon deaf ears and continuing to ignore their input will leave lasting damage to your organization. There are enough problems facing today’s fire chiefs without adding to them issues centered around excessive legal expenses and a public chastising of a fire district employee.

It appears that the possibility of the success of your new fire chief will be limited to their functionality as a puppet or your willingness to change; neither of which is healthy.

This is the first letter of this type that I have ever written and I am prompted to do so in kinship to your dedicated uniformed personnel and those that they have sworn to protect. It is important to note that I am not voicing these comments as a disgruntled applicant that did not meet your standards; rather as a fire service professional that is grateful not to have wasted my time competing for a position that I would have surely turned down.

I sincerely wish your new chief the very best as your membership certainly deserves good leadership and hope that he/she will be able to bridge the obvious gap between the sentiment of the community and that of your Board. Because this email qualifies as official correspondence to the Board, I have every expectation that it will be read in open forum at your meeting. Sincerely, F. David Burke, Jr. (end letter)

Phyllis Erick commented she is sorry Mr. Burke found the Fire Chief search system dysfunctional, but as the person that set up the Fire Chief Search Committee, she is proud of the Committee; she said they did a great job and are honest citizens doing the best they could. She said they followed the process as legal counsel advised.

5. Approval of Fire Chief Selection Process Expenditures including Candidates’ Airfare Reimbursement – SFD FY2011/12 Approved Budget Acct. #3-02-6132. (David Blauert)

Sedona Fire District Special Meeting Minutes February 1, 2012 Page 5

Mr. Blauert asked for this item to be approved and asked Recording Clerk Tricia Greer for information. Ms. Greer stated Finance Manager Sandi Schmidt asked if this motion would be to approve all expenditures from the Fire Chief search, not exclusively to airfare reimbursement, which she acknowledged it was.

Mr. Blauert stated he received an estimate of expenses to date for the process; $15,000 was budgeted for the Fire Chief process. He read aloud the following expenditures: Attorney Bill Whittington – $5,122; Mr. Blauert commented he does not know what Mr. Whittington’s office did for this amount, but would find out. The next expense is for Ridenour, Hienton & Lewis law firm – $1,475; advertising costs – $830; meeting room at Sedona Rouge – $130.35.

Mr. Montgomery asked if Mr. Blauert is questioning Mr. Whittington’s invoice amounts, then should the Board approve the expenditures;

Mr. Blauert stated he believed those bills had already been paid.

Ms. Greer asked for and received permission to speak; she stated the legal bills listed have been paid through the normal course of business, but per Mr. Blauert’s request, staff prepared the list of expenditures including all legal services. Ms. Greer pointed out these items include expenses to date, but other expenditures are outstanding and have not yet been received.

Mr. Christensen moved to approve the Fire Chief Selection Process expenditures; Mrs. Erick seconded and the motion was unanimously approved.

6. Discussion of Procedure by which Board will Review and Discuss Candidates for SFD Chief.

Attorney Scott Wakefield said this is the moment to apprise the Board of the procedure the Fire Chief Search Committee used; he said it seemed workable in terms of discussions necessary to hold in Executive Session; he explained the Committee assigned numbers to each of the candidates, and while they had extensive discussions of various qualifications of the candidates in Executive Session, they then returned to Public Session and discussed the relative merits and rankings of them identified by number, not providing any additional identifying information. Mr. Wakefield said the Board could use a similar process for its discussions, but recommended identifying candidates by letter, rather than numbers, to avoid any misunderstanding of numbers used earlier in the process.

Mr. Blauert said a ballot has been made for the Board to use and said the counting of those ballots would be done in Public Session; he asked if it would be acceptable for either Fire Marshal Johnson or Ms. Greer to count them. Mr. Wakefield said from the legal perspective, that would be acceptable.

7. Review and Discussion of Applicants for SFD Chief; Interviews with Candidates. Discussion of this Item will be Held in Executive Session Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(1) and (2). (Note: Executive Session will be held at Sedona Rouge Hotel & Spa.)

At approximately, 4:25 PM, Mr. Blauert asked to add item #9 to this item to go into Executive Session pursuant to ARS 38-431.03(A)(1), (2), and (4) and entertained such a motion; Mr. Christensen so moved; Mrs. Erick seconded, and the motion unanimously passed. Mr. Blauert stated they would be reconvening at Sedona Rouge.

8. Selection of Candidate for SFD Fire Chief with whom to Pursue Contract Negotiations.

9. Possible Miscellaneous Discussions on Other Business Relating to Selection of New Chief. Discussion of this Item May Be Held in Executive Session Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03(A)(4).

10. Adjournment.

The Board reconvened into Public Session at Station #1 at approximately 8:55 PM.

Mr. Blauert said the Board would reconvene this Friday at 4:00 PM for approximately 15 minutes and would ask Ms. Greer to agendize voting for the new Chief.

No further actions were taken and the meeting immediately adjourned.

__ David Blauert, Chairman of the Board

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7 Comments

  1. Dana Cavanaugh says:

    Dana Cavanaugh via Facebook: I find it hard to believe this is still an ongoing issue. The board is a disgrace to our community.

  2. Wendy Tanzer says:

    I couldn’t agree more. Please take a moment to view the website http://www.sfdrecall.com The recall election ballots will be mailed during the week of April 23rd. VOTE to replace this disgraceful lot and restore safety AND sanity to our fire district! Remind everyone you know to VOTE!!! VOTE!!! VOTE!!! for Corrie Cooperman, Diane Schoen and Nazih Hazime! Thank you for your support.

  3. Concerned Senior Citizens says:

    Dear Sedona Fire District taxpayers,

    One of the main reasons why my wife and I moved to Sedona about 10 years ago was the excellent medical care provided by the local medical facilities, in particular the well trained and efficient firefighter/paramedics. Being in poor health, for us that was, and still is, a very important factor… because our very lives depend on it.

    I have heard rumors that the present majority of the SFD board is considering cutting back on staffing , reintroducing the idea of private ambulance service and reverting back to a volunteer fire department…all that to save me $250 a year!!! Are you guys serious?

    Cutting back on fire personnel, means shutting down some stations because of a lack of minimal staffing on the rigs. That translates into a longer response time to “911” calls, specially the ones coming from the VOC and the Chapel area. That means, that some of us seniors are not going to be around to be saved.

    Do you fully realize what the majority of this board is trying to do to us?

    In addition, if we were to revert to a volunteer fire department and a privatized ambulance service, we would loose the excellent, professional paramedic/EMT services that we are currently receiving. Do you want someone without the proper training and credentials to try to save your life? Has anyone given any thought to that?

    I urge other seniors within the Sedona Fire District to become more involved by coming to board meetings…and if you can’t, read the minutes and watch the videos to find out what’s being done to your fire department. In addition, go to http://www.sfdrecall.com/sfdrecall/__Home_Page.html

    Once you do that, you will agree that replacing the recalled members of the SFD board at the upcoming special election on May 15, 2012 (early ballots begin going out April 19) is the only alternative left for us seniors living in this area.

    Don’t forget… your lives depend on it!
    Concerned Senior Citizens
    Sedona, AZ

  4. Karen Strauch says:

    Dear Friends and Residents of the Sedona Fire District,

    The verifiably well-trained EMS, Fire and all hazard professionals of the Sedona Fire District are OUR first line of defense in a medical emergency or a fire. They have faithfully served this community for many years. Our firefighters place their lives on the line for our lives and our safety. Now this is threatened because their future is threatened. We deserve a Fire Board that is ethical, complies with Open Meeting Law, and supports the firefighters efforts. We need your help.

    Thank you for caring,

    Karen Strauch
    928-282-6666

  5. Don says:

    Kazian will be the new SFD chief. He accepted even though Blauert and Demme aren’t saying so. He has a Fire Science Management Degree from Southern Illinois University. He’s worked 20 years in the same district.
    Where is his PhD? Is he fluent in Spanish? How many mountains and desert fires has he supervised?

    Perfect fit for the new board members? Not so good for the community and staff? Kudos to Karen for jumping ship.

  6. Carl, SFD voter says:

    who in the hell decided this guy was more qualified than Chief Keller????? dump those cretins off the board. my blood is boiling knowing that this new guy isn’t one half as qualified as Keller. the new board should fire him and reinstate Keller when it takes office. nothing personal to the new guy but he’s out of his element and doesn’t have one qualifier above the acting chief. out of embarrassment he should not take the job.

    Boiling mad SFD district voter

  7. sedona old timer says:

    Does anyone else think it “strange” that Joe Demme has been chairman of the audit committee which hired a company out of Illinois that employees his wife, and also the chairman of the Fire Chief Search Committee which has recommended hiring a candidate also from Illinois. Joe Demme has an export company out of Barrington, Illinois part of which is in Lake County which is served by the Countryside Fire Protection District. The candidate who is being offered a contract to be the new chief currently works for the Countryside Fire Protection District! His name is Kris Kazian and you can go to the Countryside fire district to see his qualifications. Is this coincidence, or an example of Joe Demme’s attempt to run the Fire Board and the Fire District from behind the scenes. Was this candidate given special consideration because of a connection with Demme, did Demme convince the other committee members of this man’s “special” qualities, did Demme reveal that he is from that area and may be prejudiced in his favor?

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