Reality Check in Baltimore
Baltimore City Fire Department PhotoI haven’t covered Baltimore’s City Hall since Willam Donald Schaefer was the mayor and Barbara Mikulski was a council member. That’s 35 years ago. I only tell you this to prove I have absolutely no insight into politics in Baltimore. All I know is what I read in The Baltimore Sun (and see on “The Wire”).
And from what I have read, it is hard to draw any other conclusion than William Goodwin’s career in Baltimore is winding down.
On Friday, as two more members of the Baltimore City Fire Department were fired following Racheal Wilson’s death, The Sun reached out to Jay Lowry of firefighterlyhourly.com, and others, to look at Chief Goodwin’s future. But it really only matters what one person thinks about William Goodwin and that’s his boss, the Mayor of Baltimore, Sheila Dixon.
Goodwin appears to be getting none of the love and respect that Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas has received from his mayor. Of course, unlike Thomas, Goodwin is a carryover from a previous administration.
To show you what I mean, take a look below. I’ve compiled many of the recent comments from Dixon and her staff about Chief Goodwin. All of these are from Sun articles over the last month. The first comment is in reaction to allegations of unauthorized spending, the rest are responses to developments in the Wilson investigation:
(Dixon) would not say whether she continues to have confidence in Fire Chief William J. Goodwin Jr.
“I’m going to be reassessing all our department heads,” Dixon said. “We want the best people who are going to follow our rules and regulations. I think he’s made every effort to be transparent. I think that we need to know that none of our agency heads can think they can just go around the system so they can accommodate their [own] process.” (June 14)
Anthony McCarthy, a spokesman for Mayor Sheila Dixon, said that she has not yet reviewed the state charges. “I think we all share a great deal of disappointment to find ourselves in this situation,” he said. “We have to take seriously, very seriously, the findings of this professional organization.” “Things have to change. People will be held accountable,” he said. “Dixon is committed to changing the culture of this department.” (June 27)
Mayor Sheila Dixon said yesterday that she plans to make additional changes in the leadership of the city’s Fire Department after a state agency charged that the department made “willful” violations of safety standards during a fatal training exercise.”There are a lot of changes that need to take place,” she said. “Some of those changes have already begun.” (June 28)
Anthony McCarthy, a spokesman for Sheila Dixon, said the Fire Department may be in store for additional dismissals and changes. “I think that still is an open question about what direction the mayor takes with regard to the Fire Department,” he said. (July 6)
Can any department head really survive comments like this from his or her boss? I asked that question of two people who have worked in this level of city government. Their answer was another question: Why would you stay?
They point out that a person in that position would be nothing more than a figurehead who would have little power to shape their department.
It is an ugly situation. Forget the tragic details of Rachael Wilson’s death for a moment. You knew this was going sour from the start, just by the circumstances involving Kevin Hyde. In my career I can’t recall another situation where, within a few days time, the same person is the subject of two profiles by the major newspaper in town, for actions taken in two separate posts, in different jurisdictions.
Let’s not forget what may also be another important factor here. As Chief Goodwin’s training division continues to go down in flames, remember Goodwin’s own resume. Immediately before becoming the fire chief, William Goodwin was the department’s training officer. That was his baby. In the resume released with his appointment in 2002 by Mayor Martin O’Malley, the training accomplishments took up the most ink:
Fire Department Director of Training: Developed curriculum for all training and educational programs for the entire Department, approximately 1700 members including civilians, with an annual budget of $101,313,337. Managed Departmental certification for local, state and federal compliance. Developed and managed the Respiratory Protection Program for the entire Department. Pioneered Educational and Resource Management with State, Local and Federal Agencies. 1999 to Present. Responsible for Research and Development for the Fire Department. Appointed by Governor Parris N. Glendening to the Fire-Rescue Education and Training Commission.
Chief Goodwin has been very silent in recent weeks because he has been at Harvard. The U.S. Fire Administration picked Goodwin to be part of the, 19-day long, 2007 Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program. A great honor, but you wonder how Chief Goodwin can be gone for so long while his department is dealing with the biggest crisis of his administration.
Some familiar with the situation say it may simply be that he knows it’s over and the Harvard gig is a good one to have when looking for the next job. Sheila Dixon says she is waiting for the report from Howard County Deputy Fire Chief Chris Shimer before making other decisions.
If I was still a reporter in Baltimore, I would be asking Mayor Dixon the following: With two reports already in hand, what is it that you don’t already know about this tragic situation that could possibly sway your decision one way or the other?
In fact, another quote in The Sun from Baltimore’s mayor indicates that she may already know what she needs to know:
“There are a lot changes that are taking place at the academy, and when this final report comes out, I’m expecting to make some major changes over in the Fire Department” (June 28).
