Crime & Safety
Chief Speaks Out on Civil Service Change
Fire Chief Steve Pasdon thinks local and state officials made a mistake in removing the police and fire chief from Civil Service in Peabody.
It turns out Fire Chief Steve Pasdon thinks the recent change to remove the jobs of police and fire chief in Peabody from the protections of Civil Service was a mistake.
Speaking publicly on the issue for the first time last week after state lawmakers approved the change, Pasdon told the Salem News he felt it would just politicize the job, weaken the chiefs' authority and remove the independence they have now.
Pasdon is not affected by the change, but his successor would be.
He said he didn't expect this to be a problem under Mayor Ted Bettencourt, who sought the change, but Pasdon envisioned other mayors and chiefs might be tempted to neglect certain safety concerns under political pressure.
He noted that chiefs at times need to be make unpopular decisions or enforce rules for the sake of public safety, and complaints on those matters usually end up in the mayor's office.
Pasdon told the Salem News he didn't speak out before because he wanted to avoid a political situation.
You can read more on this story in the Salem News here.
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