Written by Rick Amburgey: There’s a lot of factors why the fire levy might fail in Carlisle this November. The economy is a big one. It’s going to be a tough sell to ask people to raise their taxes when so many are unemployed – no matter all the good things the levy might bring.
Economy, I understand. What troubles me is that I’m hearing from people in the community that Carlisle Fire Chief Greg Wallace is the problem. At first, I could assume it’s just someone who has a personal problem with him. But, by now, I’ve heard the same thing from so many people. People are saying he won’t pass the levy while he’s serving as Fire Chief.
To my knowledge, I’ve never talked with the man. I do recall seeing him at a Carlisle council meeting. I don’t have a personal problem with him whatsoever. I’m not sure if I would even recognize him if I saw him in public. I am thinking, though, if that many people have such a lack of trust in him, something needs to be done.
There’s more to the story than that. Wallace has been quoted in local media saying Carlisle’s volunteer fire department doesn’t always respond to fires in Carlisle because of the lack of volunteers. There have been firefighters (yes, real honest-to-goodness fire fighters) that have said they would volunteer in Carlisle if Wallace was gone. What’s the driving force behind this? I don’t know.
I think there’s enough negativity surrounding Wallace, however, that the city should at least look into it. I think it’s wrong of the people to vote NO because of Wallace. If these concerns are valid, they need to go to the city council meeting and make them public. Fire service is too important to the community to let personal feelings cloud judgment. If it’s true one man is the cause of all the fire department’s problems, that’s something the city council needs to take care of.
The brave men and women who fight fires – and risk their lives – deserve all the support and resources we can give them. Don’t you agree?
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42 comments:
Chief Wallace is a big problem but I think City Council is the bigger problem becaue they allow this to go on.
I'm sure there is some validity to Chief Wallace being the problem, but I think you miss some very important facts in this letter.
1. The Carlisle Volunteers risk their lives for $1.00 to $1.50 per hour. The City of Franklin and Franklin Twp. give their FF's approx. $16.00 for the first 2 hours and then drops down to approx. $8.00 per hour after the first 2 hours are up. Meaning if they come in for a run and it only lasts 30 minutes they get $16.00. The money brings in volunteers because there are no free volunteers in the world today. Chief Wallace and City Council have failed to try to do something about this for 10+ years. Why should I come to Carlisle when I get more money from the other two fire departments.
2. The Carlisle Volunteers are abused because they are so cheap to the city. The City asks these young men and women to do jobs that should be done by other city employees. The city will call out the underpaid volunteers for $1.00 to $1.50 an hour to stand outside for 24 hours and pump water from basements when this should be done by other city employees such as service department. At 5:00 p.m. the service department goes home and the fire department takes over. I ask why should this be allowed to happen? Because the city can’t afford to pay other city workers to do it so they use the free labor of Carlisle Volunteer Firefighters and the Chief is OK with this as well as council.
3. Why has Chief Wallace volunteered his fire firefighters to setup railroad days? Because they are cheap and the city can’t afford to pay anyone else. Why does city council allow this to happen?
Here is my opinion to whole issue with the fire department.
I don’t want to lose our fire department, we do have some really fantastic young men and women who do work for the department. But, the fact is that Carlisle cannot afford to run a fire department, they can’t pay them, they can’t afford the fire gear, they can’t even afford to purchase them hats,T-shirts or uniforms to proudly display who they work for. The fire station is a mess, no potable water, no living quarters, and who would want to take a shower there with the disgusting water if the shower still exists? They should be ashamed to allow voting to be held there. The electric is in shambles and needs replaced, it costs a fortune to heat and cool the place when there is never anyone on station. These issues have gone on for 10+ years and nothing has been done so what is different now? Why do we need a levy? Will this levy guarantee the City of Carlisle the fire department will respond to your emergency or will it fix up the station? NO!!!. It is city council and Chief Wallace painting a gloomy picture just to try to get more of your tax money that they will waste and not improve the fire department in any way. Putting a new chief in there will not fix this problem and Carlisle should consider contracting the fire service to Franklin Township for $75,000.00 for the next several years while they work on fixing their internal problems. $25,000 of this money would come from the salary they pay Chief Wallace? How does that happen? There are no volunteer fire chiefs in Warren County that come close to that salary and they have more runs, more people, more equipment and more stations to run. Take Wallace’s salary and give it to the fire firefighters now! Pay them what they are worth. City council has waited too long to try and fix this problem and they can’t ask for a big enough levy because they know it will not pass so they are going to ask for a band-aid levy just to try to keep them in the black. Not the right thing to do for our city or our firefighters, no one gains from this and our citizens taxes will go up.
Just survey the daily, weekly and monthly duties of all Fire Chiefs in Warren County, then compare those duties to the salaries and benefits - Carlisle is spending more on a Fire Chief than others.
He drives an unmarked car and lives outside the city. Does he pay commute fees and taxes on it as the IRS requires?
A council member told me that the City Manager refuses to bring it up.
Another council members say they cannot obtain the job description for Wallace and no activity accountability exist.
So what does he do for the firefighters? What does he do the for city?
Check into the turnover of the fire dept..ooops..no records of that...since Wallace has been chief, how many Awards Banquets and Retirement parties have been given?
Before Wallace arrived, both took place annually and were often in the newspapers, we still have the articles. He does not keep the Alumni appreciated and Council does not seem to miss this either.
I also think the problem is much deeper than Greg Wallace. I think its that City council continues to put the blinders on whenever someone mentions a change within the fire department. Its time to open some eyes and let the public really know what type of fire protection they have. This is not a stab at the employees just the days of volunteer firefighters are becoming a thing of the past. If you want reliability you better bring your checkbook.
I have had conversations with city employees and council members and there are some that refuse to believe that Greg is a problem. They want people to step forward and tell them why they don't like him. If there are this many complaints there is some truth in there somewhere. Council listen up!
Nice fire engines but no one responds to bring them to the emergency. So how is that helping the City of Carlisle?
May I suggest we vote OUT all those presently on Council that are running for reelection, Fire the "Vacationing" Novice City Manager that seems to have no answers at every Council meeting and Her choice of " Acting City Manager "/Zoning Officer/Fire Chief, The Missing Police Chief that buys a new automobile at his own pleasure, that should be purchased thru the proper procedures and be approved by the City Council First before purchasing. (Oh my! How did that happen?)Maybe the Police Chief figured He was above the rules. The present set of Council people have put this City in debt to the tune of two to three million dollars so far for an empty business park and a three lane road thru town. The Fire dept.if it is to survive must be restructured W/out a paid full time Chief (FIRST) and volunteers in the unit should be able and willing to command when needed and compensated properly. I only hope the newly elected Council People will do more than sit on screen twirling their hair or flaping their lips while the Mayor is trying to conduct a meeting. Most serving on council now only bring their bodies to the meetings and bring no solutions or ideas of how to solve the Fire dept. problems except to pass another LEVY. P.S. Where does Carlisle Council discuss City business????Not much is being discussed at 15 Min Council meetings? Are Sunshine laws being violated with use of E-MAIL ??????
I was told that the City Manager will not allow the Fire Chief to attend any meetings of the fire community to represent the Fire Department. As I understand it, Carlisle's fire chief was very involved, even president of the Warren County Fire Chief's Association. No he is not allowed to attend any of the daytime or night time meetings. Maybe the City Manager is the problem.
Council listen up! Are you joking??? The citizen have voted a fire levy down THREE times in a row.
Why are we even discussing this?
"Because Council does not want Carlisle to loose it's identity"
Wow - Does not even have it own Zip Code, Library, Water Treatment plant, etc.
Carlisle finds it convenient to "Share" the County Dispatch and JEMS without an identity crisis.
At least Franklin City is up front with its citizens.
Remember when the fire chief was in the running for City Manger and it was disclosed he did not pay city taxes for a few years, it was an oversight as stated in the newspaper.
So he forgot to pay them and the City "forgot" to issue a bench warrant - my city taxes were days late, not years and they had a warrant out for my arrest.
The Franklin Fire Dept. post pictures of their rostered members as well as the explorer post stating their bio, education, positions with the city, Carlisle is so ashamed of their Fire Department, their bio, education, positions with the city are secret.
What ever happened to the Carlisle Fire Levy committee?? Who served on this? When did it stop meeting and what was the final decision?
From what I'm reading on these comments there are some serious problems with Carlisle Council and Chief Wallace. I may have to reconsider my vote.
I guess all these personal attacks come from people who are willing to serve as volunteer firefighters. Maybe you should recall the Mayor who fosters this useless fodder. Mr. Wallace assigned people to respond to fires in his absence...time to move on! If the levy fails blame the taxpayers, the economy but not the people who step up to serve.
I remember the wind storm last year. It was Wallace on the street clearing trees and getting the residents water...no mayor. No city manager. Thanks to Chief Wallace!
The city is not staffed to provide basic fire suppression. The city can not afford do so, even with a levy it will not be able to provide a well managed, equipped department.
The city does have options to provide basic suppression without a levy. This would give the city time to save the money to support a fire department in the future.
The current staff make great contributions and effort but can not be consistent. This is council fault not the volunteers.
Each member has to choose a certain quality of life and ensure their future. It seems council just want a fire department so it can check that off as service they provide without real concern for each volunteers quality of life.
The citizens voted down a levy three time in a row, maybe they understand the need better than council. Council is supposed to represent the voters wishes, 3 in a row is pretty strong signal.
So unless there is another agenda or council has mislead the citizens this issue has been dealt with.
Wow - "I guess all these personal attacks", consider the "attack" council is making on us if they put another levy on after three failure in a row.
Who is attacking who?
It takes many districts five votes to pass a levy. If Carlisle people don't want to pay for their own protection it is their own fault.I'm more ashamed of a mayor riding around on a scooter wearing shorts than anything our firefighters have done.
I have never hear anyone question the firefighter or the members of the fire dept.
While this affects them, this isn't about them not doing a fine job, it's about council providing the correct resources and funds to make it safe and rewarding to serve.
It just takes more than they have and today with or without a levy, Carlisle can not afford to do it correctly and council has not made an progress with that in over 15 years and no viable plan is on the table to correct this.
There are other options, hard choices, but a levy was turned down so take another opttion, that's why we vote for council..right?
I am close to someone who is on the fire department. Chief Wallace has done alot of great things for the city, he is so busy with the city, he does not have time to fully focus on the fire department.
He misses alot because the city "requires" him to do other things and not just be the fire chief.
Its not his fault.
I have been on the fire department for years and I have watched other go before me that owned homes, payed taxes and voices thier opinions and were punished for it. Don't expect anyone on the fire department to come out.
I hate to say it. But Mr. Wallace is a lot of the problem for these reasons, first, when buy fire equipment you don't buy the most expensive apparatus out there i.e. the last pumper! Next, why is the department pumping out basements? Most departments do not do this because of liability! Third, their are several departments in the area that use true volunteers i.e. paid one dollar a year and have full rosters. IT is painfully obvious the chief is not a motivator of his personnel. I have been at a few of their calls and the chief has made decisions that have been unnecessarily dangerous to personnel and equipment. Maybe new leadership is necessary to bring morale up and get the community behind the department.
I plan to support the levy. Chief Wallace has been a great leader and the fire department has done the best it could with limited resources. City Council has looked into all of the issues brought up and and there is nothing else to explore. Not sure why some people are still on a witch hunt.
In response to the comment made about a so called witch hunt. There is no witch hunt, people are stating facts about the failure of Chief Wallace and City Council to do right by the fire fighters and citizens of Carlisle. I have been told of an option that fixes our problem that council won't even consider. The option is to contract with Franklin Township and they will take on all of the current firefighters that Carlisle has and they will use our equipment for Carlisle and Franklin Township fire runs the same as Carlisle did for Franklin Township before they pulled out of the contract. This will give the firefighters the pay they need and will be a reduction in amount the City of Carlisle has to pay annually as the contract is less than what they say they spend now. City Manager Sherry Callahan has stated she doesn't want to lose the identity of the city....?? What identity do we currently have other than we can't make it to our own fires most of the time. Many more than what has been made public and when people start asking the right questions it will come out. Unless there is fudging of records which has been brought up in conversations. Can that really be happening? If there is a witch hunt it is city council trying to force a levy down our throats when it has been rejected 3 times and the levy won't fix a single problem that this fire department has.
While the chief may be a great guy, I have to question his ability to lead in the capacity of fire cheif. Our city has fires that burn, while our fire department is unable to respond. The system is broken. Money does not fix problems - action does. Great leaders display the actions that inspire people to develope solutions that work.
As well, has our council lead us? Isn't the city manager appointed by the council and doesn't the city manager manage the fire chief?
Lets get a council that WORKS!
Faceless stories. 24 of them I have read so far. I can tell you whom most are written by, just by the words and information presented. There are so many directions I would like to go in, as to reply to some of these nameless comments. For now I will continue to watch everyone point fingers and get off the topic. Thanks go out to the Carlisle Daily for having this site up for theses ideas to be written and read.
I think we should turn it all over to Franklin Township Fire Dept. to provide our fire protection.and let them have all the tax dollars that the present 2 mil levy brings in to run the thing. Why not? Carlisle did it for years for the Township till our full time CHIEF blew it. Springboro lets Clearcreek Township do their fire protection and they haven't lost their IDENTITY, Amazing HUH ????? MRS. S. Callahan. If the new CITY MGR. would spend a little more time in town hall doing the job she was hired to do then maybe the fire chief could return to the firehouse where he belongs and not lurk in the offices at town hall. Not untill Chief Wallace did a Fire Chief Occupy an office at town hall. Maybe the city wouldn't use him as their personal handmaiden if he wasn't under their feet all day long. As far as being overtaxed by the city and not being able to attend meetings, that is pure crap, He gets paid to wear three hats, he took the jobs and(he don't work for free) How much of Carlisle tax payer's money is he taking back to Middletown,Ohio every year for being Our FIRE CHIEF? ZONING OFFICER? and ACTING CITY MANAGER???? Please call the nearest council person and ask them if they know and I'll Bet you none of them can tell you. and some of them don't know the police chief well enough to point him out in a lineup. What a bad joke this sitting council has been for years. My observations & My opinions God Bless America
Mayor Humphries, What is your opinion of the Fire Department, Chief Wallace, Council, and a fire levy. I also, ask this to all Carlisle City Council and the City Manager. Lets hear our leaders give their opinion on this.
I guess the City didn't get a permit from the Fire Chief to burn a few hot dogs at the Community Nite Out event at Roscoe Roof park. I believe the people in charge of this event should be revealed to the citizens. SORRY SORRY SORRY LEADERS, Fire them and vote them out come November. Let them pay for the extra cops that showed up for crowd control out of their own pockets instead of my tax dollars.
I think Tim looks good on his scooter.(I had to get that off my chest)What fire chief??Do we have one in Carlisle??
First, thanks to Carlisle Daily for giving us an outlet for discussion. This is a great news source.
Reading over these posts, it seems that people are dissatisfied with the representation of our City Council. I too feel that pain. Solid Fire Protection, Police and Emergency Response are not things that can "kinda" function in a community. They are non-negotiable that must operate properly - in a well-defined system - every time.
I am concerned over the results of recent performance. I wonder what would happen if my parents house on Fairview caught fire. Would it burn to the ground unless another department shows up to put it out? Recently, there was an auto accident near the area of my home on Beachler. Our fire team didn't respond. Our safety concerns me.
I am running at large for the Carlisle City Council on the November 3rd ballot. As your representative, I promise to bring accountability, sustainability and action back to the council. I pledge to be a VOICE for the community. It is time vote for what works. I hope I can count on your support.
Chad Johnson...This sounds good but I also voted for Mayor Humphries and he states simular things but nothing seems to have gotten better.
I still like the Mayor because despite everything said, he is the most accessable and involved council member we have. I don't have to be in his "little circle" to have him listen to me.
I do not like when questions are asked in a council meeting and the Manager evades them by stating she will follow up and then does so, maybe, outside of the public council meeting.
I just don't see ANY of our current council hold anyone accoutable in the open where the common citizen who does not attent the circus can witness.
How will you do any better then the Mayor?
I have read all the blogs and this is what I have gathered. There are firefighters on here that need to be more focused on training and doing their job. People running for council all of a sudden are concerned about the city. I wonder how many people that are running even went to council meetings until they decided to run. I do commend them for their involvement and willingness to make a change in their community. Now on to fire dept problems, if Carlisle can not survive how is contracting with Franklin Twp going to help? They are starting to run low on funds themselves. The fact the levy failed 3 times is true, so are we to give up and quit trying to pass one? How many times does it take to pass any levy in Carlisle? The schools tried multiple times, so lets go out and contract with another school district. The fact that Carlisle has no new gear, uniforms, or other equipment falls back on the citizens. It takes money to operate and buy new things. Equipment cost more now than it has ever has. How are we to pay for these, if noone wants to pay for it? Contract with Franklin Twp? Their equipment is older than ours. At some point the citizens are going to have to pay, plain and simple. Carlisle had one run that we did not show up on, if there is more please, please post the time and place when this happened. Im sure no one will be able to do that. I wonder how many people who can take the time to write on here were home when this happened. Gee maybe if you volunteered and try to be part of the solution instead of complaining about it. If the fire Chief is the problem, well i guess he doesnt do his job, so you would not have to deal with him then. So does that mean you do not trust the officer staff as well...? As far as the vehicle accident Mr. Johnson, if you heard about the run it was on Dubois not Beachler, so make sure your information is right before passing judgement. I am assuming you heard about it because if you drove by then you would know that and if you really cared you would volunteer at the firehouse and could have responded and helped. Another comment(not made by Mr.Johnson) was something to do with buying high priced firetrucks. Duh! You want cheap equipment coming to your house and putting out your fire and before anyone can make the comment that is doesnt matter we dont show up anyways, like I said prove to me that we dont, please tell me when and where, besides the one on Meadowlark. If anyone needs an application they are located at Town Hall. I can go on and on but im not, so if anyone has any questions or concerns, please fill to cantact me anytime. My cell is (937) 790- 8425 and unlike others I will not hide behide an anonymous post, thanks
Lt. Jeremy Rowland
Answer to Your article title is WALLACE IS NOT A CITY PROBLEM ANYMORE AFTER SEPT. FAIRWELL AND GOOD RIDDENS MR. WALLACE AND DON"T FORGET TO TURN IN ALL THE CITY EQUIPMENT YOU HAVE IN YOUR POSESSION. This is my feelings and my opinion of the job and the damage you have done since you came to this town. May God bless you because I'm busy.
To whoever said he was more ashamed of a mayor on a scooter wearing shorts...why is that? What do you care what the mayor drives/rides/ or wears? Do you think that what a person drives makes him or her a better person? What if your candidate isn't the right gender or race...would that be a problem for you? Listen...I wrestled with these issues myself and the bottom line is that Tim Humphries should be judged as a mayor based on his efectiveness...not on what he drives any more than you should be judged at what you do based on what you wear or what you drive. You sound like an elitist. I'd love to have some idea who you are so that I might have a better idea what I should drive or wear (or eat...or drink...or say...or what kind of music I listen to...or what movie to watch...or what to name my kid...etc.
Lt. Rowland,
You make a great point, so merging fire services of Franklin Twp. & Carlilse would help the tax payers of both communities..wouldn't it?
The worked as one before in Carlisle, so why not now?
Would not the firefighters beniefit form this arrangement as well, if not why not?
There is alot more being said in town than this forum reflects, but everyone respects the firefighters of the department, but teaming with Franklin Twp. under one fire department adminstration is a god idea until Carlisle can support a fire department of its own, one that can be consistant and safe.
I live in Carlisle, I want a better for the firefighter 1st then have our own FD 2nd. Carlsile Council says it just cant afford to run one like that and the taxpayers say they just wont pay more now.
Jeremy...You sound well-informed...educated...and committed...and maybe a little biased. The fact that Mr. Johnson is not a volunteer firefighter does not mean that he should not be given credit for raising a good point when he has one. Moreover, though I don't know you personally, you sound like you are above the petty nit-picking of a person who states an address wrong. Don't lower your standards for the sake of the argument...you are better than that!!!
I am grateful for the job that firefighters perform. That doesn't mean that I think all firefighters are the second-coming. I volunteer a lot of my time...even though none of it is in fire prevention or suppression. We all have our niches and things we are good at doing. I know Mr. Johnson. He is no slouch and he cares very much about community and family. I am running for Council again this term and I don't recall the last Council meeting I attended. The fact is, I was defeated in the election by a person I feel is incompetent. I believe that the result of that election was based on loyalties and friendships that had nothing to do with efficacy or wise policies. What few meetings I have attended have demonstrated a present state of affairs in Carlisle that involve a small number of people doing the best they can to keep others and their ideas out of public view. No doubt out of fear that their incompetence will be exposed beyond their ability to disguise it. YOU DO NOT SOUND AT ALL LIKE THAT. I would encourage you to consider running yourself. In my opinion, our community could use more people like you seem to be in positions of elected officials. You seem like a person I would not mind losing an election to because I believe that our citizens would end up better off either way. I hope that makes sense.
I do however have to offer a little criticism. As I stated earlier...I know Chad Johnson...I consider him neither friend nor foe...neither politcal ally nor political enemy...but I do know that he cares. Your suggestion that he doesn't care because he doens't volunteer down at the firehouse is unwarranted and unfair.
I know the topic is one that hits close to home, but to malign another man's character the way you did there is over the line. I don't believe you did it on purpose.
This is not a forum in which to engage in personal attacks of other people or their views. I am very grateful for the daily and people like you who offer not only consstructive criticisms but also valuable insights.
Lastly, to all readers---this forum is a valuable tool if used properly. It is an opportunity to provide and receive valuable feedback. Please let's all agree to refrain from personal attacks and inuendo. We have some really smart and really committed people in our city. Let's put our heads together and work on solutions that make us all winners.
Visit my website and share your ideas.
www.votebryangreen.com
Bryan Green
8473 Meadowlark Drive
Carlisle,
513-594-6080
I am excited about the opportunity to work with council and folks like you in order to help improve the quality of life for all of our citizens. Not just in fire protection but also in many other areas as well.
Funny that Lt. Rowland waits till Chief Wallace resigns to open his mouth. Sounds like someone is campaining for the new Chief position. If he was really concerned he would have spoke up a lot sooner.
Lt. Rowland,
I want to thank you for taking time to respond directly to my posting. You made some very good points. I will attempt to make a direct response to those points to help you better understand my solutions.
Your Points 1:
- There are firefighters on here that need to be more focused on training and doing their job.
- Now on to fire dept problems, if Carlisle can not survive how is contracting with Franklin Twp going to help? They are starting to run low on funds themselves.
- It takes money to operate and buy new things. Equipment cost more now than it has ever has. How are we to pay for these, if noone wants to pay for it? Contract with Franklin Twp? Their equipment is older than ours. At some point the citizens are going to have to pay, plain and simple.
- If the fire Chief is the problem, well i guess he doesnt do his job, so you would not have to deal with him then.
- Another comment(not made by Mr.Johnson) was something to do with buying high priced firetrucks.
- Duh! You want cheap equipment coming to your house and putting out your fire and before anyone can make the comment that is doesnt matter
My Response 1:
- You point out possible issues with Training, Focus, Contracting with Franklin Twp., Money (Levy), Equipment, Fire Chief (leadership), Cost of Equipment, Emergency Fire Response (or lack thereof)
- With all these issues you’ve brought up, I don’t think a levy is the first answer. We citizens of Carlisle are already paying taxes, part of which fund our current fire services. So, before we raise taxes, we should start by looking at the process. How are we set up to respond when the alarm sounds? Are we staffed properly to show up to the fire? Have our officers been given the training that they need to accomplish the mission? Does the staff have the equipment they need to do the job? Have we formally reached out to fire fighters in our community for advice and direction? Have we benchmarked other cities with similar demographics to learn what is best practice for fire fighting? Is our team focused – (do we have the right players in the game). Do we have the best leadership?
- 1st measure the process / 2nd measure the leadership and training / 3rd measure the partners doing the work
Wouldn’t you agree this method of management makes sense?
- I promise to bring accountability, sustainability and action back to the council.
Your Points 2:
- People running for council all of a sudden are concerned about the city
- I wonder how many people that are running even went to council meetings until they decided to run.
- I do commend them for their involvement and willingness to make a change in their community.
My Response 2:
- I have been concerned about this city all of my life. I moved to Carlisle with my family in 1974 when I was 2 years old. I went from K through graduation attending Carlisle City Schools. My parents still live in the house I grew up in. After working abroad and out of state, I found an opportunity to move back to Carlisle to raise my family. My daughter just graduated from Ms. Amos’ class and will now be a big fourth grader at Carlisle (good job Ms. Amos!)
- I’ve attended council meetings as far back as 1984 with my parents when I was 13 – still attend them whenever possible – watch them on the Carlisle channel and read the updates on the web site
- Thank you for your commendation for my willingness to make change. I too would like to encourage others to get involved in the operation of our city.
Your Points 3:
- Carlisle had one run that we did not show up on, if there is more please, please post the time and place when this happened. Im sure no one will be able to do that.
- we dont show up anyways, like I said prove to me that we dont, please tell me when and where, besides the one on Meadowlark.
I WILL CONTINUE ON ANOTHER POST – TOO MANY LETTERS TO POST AS ONE PAGE
Lt. Rowland, (CONTINUED)
My Response 3:
- Solid Fire Protection, Police and Emergency Response are not things that can "kinda" function in a community. They are non-negotiable that must operate properly - in a well-defined system - every time.
- Check my solutions in My Response 1. I am not assigning blame. I am stating a fact. There was a fire. We didn’t respond. Something needs fixed.
Your Points 4:
- So does that mean you do not trust the officer staff as well...?
My Response 4:
- I trust our officers with my life and the lives of my family. I am grateful for your service, risk and sacrifice. These are the very reasons I am so concerned about our system. It is failing the very officers is should support. I want to be a part of the fix that will make our fire response the best that it possibly can be.
Your Points 5:
- As far as the vehicle accident Mr. Johnson, if you heard about the run it was on Dubois not Beachler, so make sure your information is right before passing judgement.
- I am assuming you heard about it because if you drove by then you would know that and if you really cared you would volunteer at the firehouse and could have responded and helped.
My Response 5:
- I understand your passion. Let’s not let honest discussion get caught up in semantics. I said: Recently, there was an auto accident near the area of my home on Beachler. My home is on Beachler. The accident was on Dubois, which Beachler becomes about 1 mile away. (To me that is near my home). I apologize for any confusion.
- I simply stated a fact that the Fire didn’t respond. I did not pass judgement. See my solutions in My Response 1 and my answers in My Response 4.
- I heard about it when another Carlisle citizen that supports me for council asked what I could do to stop this from happening.
Your Points 6:
- Gee maybe if you volunteered and try to be part of the solution instead of complaining about it.
My Response 6:
- I am taking action – not complaining
- I am volunteering to work for our citizens on council. I feel that is where my talents will best serve my community in respect to fire fighting.
- I agree with the concept of volunteering and would like to encourage others to do it.
- I have been blessed with an opportunity to serve as a Carlisle Lions Club member (an outstanding organization)
- I am prior service Army Combat Veteran
- I am a current U.S. Army Reserve soldier (Go A/Co. 478 Eng. Bn.!)
Once again Lt. Rowland, thank you for taking time to respond. Opening discussions and exchanging ideas are the beginning of change. I feel we need to do things differently than they are currently being done. I hope you will join me in making that happen.
Kindest Regards,
Chad Johnson
Anonymous,
Thank you for your question.
HOW WILL YOU DO ANY BETTER THAN THE MAYOR?
Let me start by saying that I too like Mayor Humphries for many of the same reasons you do. He is very accessible and is not caught up in partisan politics – playing favorites – etc. He is a down to earth person that is genuinely interested in what is best for our community.
(Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying. I don’t always agree with his positions; but he is open to debate and wants to work. I respect that).
While I cannot speak for Mayor Humphries, I will talk about my observations. Like you, I have found that there is a good portion of accountability and action lacking with some of our current city council. Attending meetings, I’ve noticed that Mr. Humphries is surrounded by many less than interested participants. Mr. Humphries is only one voice of 7. If the majority of the other voices appear to be unconcerned with generating new ideas, implementing better working systems or holding themselves and others accountable; action gets impeded (or worse).
I will work along side the Mayor to complete specific objectives. I am not satisfied with the status quo. I am asking for your vote so I can go to work for my community. I am not here looking for a position or something interesting to do on Tuesday nights. I am here to make a difference.
As I said:
As your representative, I promise to bring accountability, sustainability and action back to the council. I pledge to be a VOICE for our community. I hope I can count on your support. www.votechadjohnson.com
You can reach out to me directly at: chad@votechadjohnson.com
On my cell at: 937-572-1794
By mail at: P.O Box 8174, Carlisle, OH 45005
Thanks again,
Chad Johnson
We will soon find out if Greg Wallace is the problem. A good source has informed me that late last week he resigned from the City of Carlisle. The resignation is effective Sept. 1st of this year.
I can't say that I'm fan of Greg Wallace, but feel as though he is NOT the problem at all. I think Carlisle Elected Officials and the City Manager have used him as a front for years.
It's now time for the citizens of Carlisle to realize we are in desperate need of a change with our City Counsel. I am not asking you to vote for any individual. I am asking you to PLEASE vote for change!
In closing, I wish Greg Wallace the best and hope that he moves on to bigger and better things.
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