A Detroit fire commissioner who doesn’t run or hide, admits his own scew-up

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Previous Detroit commissioners and the press

I was under the impression that part of the job description for Detroit’s fire commissioner is to run and hide from reporters anytime there is a hint of bad news. If that’s the case, Interim Commissioner Jonathan Jackson isn’t qualified for the job.

This week, WXYZ-TV investigative reporter Ross Jones reported serious problems with Jackson’s recent promotion of Andre Johnson from battalion chief to senior chief. Apparently unknown to the department, Johnson has a long record of alcohol related driving violations and his license has been revoked since 2010.

Watch the stories above and below to see how Commissioner Jackson dealt with reporter Jones and think back to all of the stories we ran of the three previous commissioners running and hiding from reporters and generally making a mess of already bad situations.

Below are some quotes from the interview. These are words and phrases I don’t recall ever coming out of the mouths of Jackson’s predecessors.

“I should have done a much better job of vetting someone I was considering to promote.  I take full responsibility for it,” Jackson said.

“It’s something I should have taken more seriously.”

“I’m going to take appropriate action.  I’m going to deal with this decisively,” Jackson said.

“This is a black eye for myself, our department.” Jackson said. “It definitely doesn’t make us look good.”