Latest news with #BoardofPublicSafety
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lieutenant Gasser named Evansville Firefighter of the year
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Green River Kiwanis announced the 2024 Evansville Firefighter of the year during a ceremony on Wednesday. Lieutenant Drew Gasser was awarded the honor during the club's meeting at Epworth United Methodist Church. Gasser said he found out about the award just a few weeks ago, and he's not sure who nominated him for the award. However, he said he believes he received the award because he has been volunteering at the station during his time off and teaching rope courses at the station. Evansville Fire Chief Tony Knight presented the award alongside Mayor Stephanie Terry and members of the Board of Public Safety. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Bend Mayor Mueller has March 1 deadline to appoint two to police fire merit boards
SOUTH BEND — Mayor James Mueller is working to appoint two qualified volunteers to serve on the city's police and merit boards, though he has declined to describe the process for identifying candidates. Five commissioners will serve on each board: two appointed by Mueller, two appointed by the local police and fire members and one appointed by the South Bend Common Council. 'The mayor will seek to have as much continuity with the Board of Public Safety as possible,' a city spokesperson told The Tribune Feb. 24. The transition to a merit board is due to the passage in 2023 of state House Bill 1016, which grants a city four options to create separate police and fire merit boards or to reject forming a board. Indiana Code 36.8.3.5, allows merit boards to oversee the hiring and firing, discipline, promotion, and demotions at the police and fire departments, a role currently held by the Board of Public Safety. 'The mayor believed in the good work of the Board of Public Safety, and the state mandated the formation of these new merit boards,' a city spokesperson said by email. Police and fire members, as well as the common council, held an online open application process to narrow down their candidates. When asked what process Mueller used to determine candidates, his office did not disclose his vetting process. A city spokesperson responded saying the mayor is working to make the appointments by the March 1 deadline and will make it known when the appointments are finalized. Mueller's two appointments per board must be of different political affiliations. The Common Council conducted interviews to choose its single appointee to the merit boards. Police members were set to vote in two commissioners on Feb. 7, but voting was delayed because a candidate's name was missing, police said. A vote is rescheduled for March 14 and 17, the amended police resolution says, and the election results will be read at the March 17 closed members meeting. Fire members, who chose to follow the state model which requires two commissioners of different political parties, voted in Democrat Dan Jones, who currently serves as president of the Board of Public Safety, on Feb. 6. The fire board has yet to find a Republican candidate, they said on Feb. 19. As of Feb. 24, the fire merit board ordinance has not been amended to include an upcoming voting date. If fire members aren't able to fill their single spot by March 1, the fire board could function if it reaches a quorum, Adam Taylor, attorney for the fire department, told the Board of Public Safety at the Feb. 19 meeting. Merit boards will likely meet once a month between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., but the schedule is yet to be determined, the Tribune previously reported. Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Mayor to appoint two members for police fire merit boards
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Bend Fire Merit Board formation delayed by lack of Republican candidate
SOUTH BEND — The formation of the South Bend police and fire merit boards faces setbacks due to requirements in the application and election processes. Both boards were set to vote in two commissioners during a members-only meeting in early February. During the fire board's election Feb. 6, members chose Board of Public Safety President Dan Jones — who applied for both police and fire merit boards — as the Democrat seatholder. Jones said he's trying to figure out how to serve on both the Board of Public Safety and the fire merit board. 'It's all new,' Jones said. The fire merit board, which chose to follow the state model unlike the police merit board, requires its two appointed members to be of different political parties and to provide voter registration from the three most recent primary elections. 'The Republican spot has not been filled. There was not a candidate put forward for that spot,' Adam Taylor, attorney for the fire department, said at the Feb. 19 Board of Public Safety meeting. Fire members will decide how this process will move forward, Taylor said. When they have a list of candidates ready, they'll need to set another election, giving three weeks' notice, he said. Board of Public Safety member Pam Claeys voiced disapproval for the political affiliation stipulation. 'It shouldn't be a political thing. It should be an experiential thing,' Claeys said. Board of Public Safety attorney Danielle Weiss said the political affiliation requirement makes the application process more 'challenging,' saying, 'It is a lot harder to find someone that checks all the boxes.' The police merit board did not appoint anyone during its Feb. 7 meeting because of an error in the list of applicants. 'There was a name that wasn't put on the list,' South Bend Chief of Police Scott Ruszkowski confirmed. Fraternal Order of Police President Joshua Morgan told The Tribune they'll have to vote at a later date. The common council is holding interviews this week to narrow down applicants to a single appointee. South Bend Mayor Muller will also appoint two commissioners, of differing political parties. Their appointments must be done by March 1, Taylor said. Email Tribune staff writer Camille Sarabia at csarabia@ This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Board of Public Safety president voted to South Bend Fire Merit Board
