Fire district woes go way back

As a retired chief officer from the Carol Stream Fire Department, I see that some unfortunate events have taken place there. However, they're not surprising. The current fire chief was handed a hotbed of difficulties by the outgoing chief, and it's a shame that his is the name being attached to them.

Chief Rick Kolomay is a long respected and excellent fire officer. He has the support of the firefighters, who understand his predicament. He should not be blamed for budget deficits and embarrassing arbitrations.

The root of those problems started with the previous chief. But the fact is that the previous chief, now retired, shouldn't shoulder all the blame, either. The voters should take a hard look at the board of trustees of the fire district. They were the decision-makers who placed the previous chief in a position he was unsuited and unqualified for.

They did so over the objections of the chief who was leaving. Largely unnoticed by the press and the public was the board meeting that many fire fighters and their spouses attended to voice their concerns about this individual, including but not limited to his veracity, favoritism, and leadership abilities. The board reluctantly listened to the firefighters but took no action. The results are plain to see: Chief Kolomay now has someone else's mess to clean up.

I encourage the voters to take a good look at how the fire district is being run. Long-term politicians have no place in decision-making roles where lives and public safety are at stake; the sole driving force for the board members should always be what's best for the community. Favoritism, personalities, and bullying do not belong in the support and administrative branch for the men and women that respond to the terrible tragedies that everyone may have to face.

Robert Tardio

West Chicago