| Henry & Dianne Ford Publishers |
CONGRATULATIONS Ron Stephens Tacoma, Washington Fire Chief |
We don’t know Ron Stephens, Tacoma, Washington’s first African-American Fire
Chief personally, but those who know him or know of him have nothing but good
comments and good news to share. Below are excerpts of recent articles about
Ron.
--
City’s new fire chief in Tacoma all along
KRIS SHERMAN; The News Tribune
Published: July 28th, 2006 01:00 AM
Ron Stephens, who joined the Tacoma Fire Department as a young man and spent
29 years climbing the ladder of rank, was appointed chief on Thursday.
Stephens is the first black to lead the 435-member department in its 126-year
history. He’s served as interim chief since last August, shortly after Eileen Lewis
announced her retirement.
City Manager Eric Anderson selected Stephens for the top job following a
nationwide search that drew about 30 candidates.
For complete article, please visit:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/tacoma/story/5985417p-5261533c.html
--
Stephens’ selection as chief
was worth the $30,000
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: July 29th, 2006 01:00 AM
Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson took some flak when he decided to conduct a
nationwide search for the city’s new fire chief.
Some critics thought it a waste of $30,000 when a perfectly good candidate was
already doing the job – interim chief Ron Stephens, who has been with the Tacoma
Fire Department since 1977. Why not just make him permanent and save the
money, they argued.
The naysayers are even louder now that Stephens was the top choice of the panels
that interviewed the field of candidates, which included three from out of state in
addition to Stephens.
But the fact that Stephens came out on top when compared to three other strong
contenders is important – and worth the $30,000. He now comes into the job with a
stamp of approval. He is not just the guy Tacoma would get if it didn’t want to make
much of an effort to see who was out there.
Look no further than comments by Pat McElligott, head of the Firefighters Union
Local 31 and a member of the interview panel: “I believe the way Ron got the
position after a nationwide search, it cements the fact that he’s the guy.”
As chief, Stephens will need to work with the union – and sometimes it might get a
little uncomfortable, especially dealing with staffing issues in increasingly tight
budget situations. Having gone through the search process and coming out as the
best choice, he will have more credibility in those discussions.
Stephens proved himself to the interviewers, who were impressed with his
communication skills, experience and vision for what he wants to do with the
department. But he’s still something of an unknown quantity to the public.
About all most people know is that he’s the city’s first black chief. That’s an
important milestone in this diverse city, but it will only get him so far. As Stephens
pointed out himself, he’s “the chief of all Tacomans.” And his first duty is to the
citizens he serves – not to the fire department or union.
Stephens looks like a sound choice for Tacoma fire chief, and we wish him well.
That $30,000 was money well spent.
Message From The Chief
The Tacoma Fire Department is recognized as one of the most progressive,
innovative and dynamic departments in the nation. This is demonstrated each day
through the dedication and hard work of our 400+ firefighters and 35 civilian staff
members. The Department takes pride in its ability to serve the needs of our
diverse community. Each day, our citizens call upon us to respond to a variety of
emergencies including: structure fires, emergency medical responses, hazardous
materials and technical rescue situations. Fire prevention and education also play
a major role in our service to the Community. The Tacoma Fire Department is
committed to each and every citizen who calls upon us. For complete article,
please visit:
http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=572
After all of THAT, all we can say to Ron is CONGRATULATIONS! Also, a BIG
THANK YOU to Jean Ford-Lawrence for sharing information about this very
INSPIRATIONAL individual.
Chief personally, but those who know him or know of him have nothing but good
comments and good news to share. Below are excerpts of recent articles about
Ron.
--
City’s new fire chief in Tacoma all along
KRIS SHERMAN; The News Tribune
Published: July 28th, 2006 01:00 AM
Ron Stephens, who joined the Tacoma Fire Department as a young man and spent
29 years climbing the ladder of rank, was appointed chief on Thursday.
Stephens is the first black to lead the 435-member department in its 126-year
history. He’s served as interim chief since last August, shortly after Eileen Lewis
announced her retirement.
City Manager Eric Anderson selected Stephens for the top job following a
nationwide search that drew about 30 candidates.
For complete article, please visit:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/tacoma/story/5985417p-5261533c.html
--
Stephens’ selection as chief
was worth the $30,000
THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Published: July 29th, 2006 01:00 AM
Tacoma City Manager Eric Anderson took some flak when he decided to conduct a
nationwide search for the city’s new fire chief.
Some critics thought it a waste of $30,000 when a perfectly good candidate was
already doing the job – interim chief Ron Stephens, who has been with the Tacoma
Fire Department since 1977. Why not just make him permanent and save the
money, they argued.
The naysayers are even louder now that Stephens was the top choice of the panels
that interviewed the field of candidates, which included three from out of state in
addition to Stephens.
But the fact that Stephens came out on top when compared to three other strong
contenders is important – and worth the $30,000. He now comes into the job with a
stamp of approval. He is not just the guy Tacoma would get if it didn’t want to make
much of an effort to see who was out there.
Look no further than comments by Pat McElligott, head of the Firefighters Union
Local 31 and a member of the interview panel: “I believe the way Ron got the
position after a nationwide search, it cements the fact that he’s the guy.”
As chief, Stephens will need to work with the union – and sometimes it might get a
little uncomfortable, especially dealing with staffing issues in increasingly tight
budget situations. Having gone through the search process and coming out as the
best choice, he will have more credibility in those discussions.
Stephens proved himself to the interviewers, who were impressed with his
communication skills, experience and vision for what he wants to do with the
department. But he’s still something of an unknown quantity to the public.
About all most people know is that he’s the city’s first black chief. That’s an
important milestone in this diverse city, but it will only get him so far. As Stephens
pointed out himself, he’s “the chief of all Tacomans.” And his first duty is to the
citizens he serves – not to the fire department or union.
Stephens looks like a sound choice for Tacoma fire chief, and we wish him well.
That $30,000 was money well spent.
Message From The Chief
The Tacoma Fire Department is recognized as one of the most progressive,
innovative and dynamic departments in the nation. This is demonstrated each day
through the dedication and hard work of our 400+ firefighters and 35 civilian staff
members. The Department takes pride in its ability to serve the needs of our
diverse community. Each day, our citizens call upon us to respond to a variety of
emergencies including: structure fires, emergency medical responses, hazardous
materials and technical rescue situations. Fire prevention and education also play
a major role in our service to the Community. The Tacoma Fire Department is
committed to each and every citizen who calls upon us. For complete article,
please visit:
http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?hid=572
After all of THAT, all we can say to Ron is CONGRATULATIONS! Also, a BIG
THANK YOU to Jean Ford-Lawrence for sharing information about this very
INSPIRATIONAL individual.
| VISIONS "Seeing the world not as it is, but as it can be" "Where there is no vision, the people perish." - Proverbs 29:18 Your Success Newsletter - Sep-Oct, 2006 - Published Bi-Monthly |