State-Journal.com - Firefighter causes promoted at forum

Photo By Hilly SchifferCity Commission candidates Terry Sutton, Bill May, Douglas C. Howard and Sellus Wilder sit on a panel during a candidate forum hosted by the firefighters local 1017 at the Capital Plaza Hotel.

The city firefighter's union used a Wednesday forum for City Commission candidates to air its concerns and agenda as well as to hear from candidates.

The Frankfort Firefighter's Local 1017's requests included more personnel, better allocation of the city's resources in the realm of public safety and the ability to "meet and confer" with city officials about firefighter issues.
Union president Gary Gebhart said the forum was much about educating candidates and the public.

"The more the candidates know," Gebhart said, the better decisions they will be able to make on the commission.

"That's been our problem all along. People don't understand our operations."
Candidate Ken Thompson and incumbents Rodney Williams and Kathy Carter did not take part in the three-hour forum.

About 15 union and non-union firefighters were on hand for the event.
Gebhart emphasized to The State Journal Wednesday the union, which is not recognized by the city, believes that to "meet and confer" would benefit firefighters and city officials.

"There's nothing binding about it," Gebhart said. "You sit down over a cup of coffee and at least both sides know what the other is thinking."

Firefighters acknowledged in the exchange with candidates there's a stigma associated with "meet and confer," which they said people fear would lead to collective bargaining for the union.

Gebhart reminded candidates the union has a policy that it would never strike, due to the implications for public safety.

Doug Howard, Bill May, Terry Sutton and Sellus Wilder - the commission candidates on hand for the forum - voiced support for the possibility of "meet and confer."

Many questions directed to candidates focused on the new public safety building on Second Street.

Gebhart said the city only has four ambulances and four fire stations. "Wouldn't the city have gotten more bang for the buck with another fire station?"

Commission candidate Sellus Wilder, who says his campaign is about efficiency and sustainability, criticized the construction of the building.

"The public safety building is unnecessarily lavish," Wilder said. "If we need space, I don't think that's hard to find."

Wilder said he believed the city had enough firefighters per capita based on other cities of similar size.

Candidate Terry Sutton joined criticism of the public safety building, saying the city "completely overspent."

"We don't need a $10 million building," Sutton said.

Incumbent Doug Howard, who was not on the commission when it approved the building, said he wouldn't second-guess the decision to build it with its emergency operations center.

Despite the need for the emergency operations center, Howard said, it might not have needed to be as big.

Mayor May, who is seeking a term as city commissioner, called the old emergency operations center, a conference room in city hall where commission work sessions are held, "embarrassing."

May also said fire station number one, adjacent to city hall, was an embarrassment.

"I wouldn't want to sleep in it," May said.

May said the new public safety building was needed and the total cost of adding the new emergency operations center was "less than $200,000."

The union has publicly called Emergency Operations Coordinator Deron Rambo a "liar" and "unqualified."

But there was no mention of Rambo Wednesday, other than to ask why the city has not pursued a state grant that would partially fund his position.

Candidates said they didn't know about the funding or why it would have been turned down, but agreed it would be beneficial.

Gebhart said the union would endorse city commission candidates after a meeting next week.