By Tony Judnich
Northwest Florida Daily News
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — The Ocean City–Wright Fire Control District Board of Fire Commissioners recently rescinded the suspensions of longtime Fire Chief Billy Lord and Deputy Fire Chief Scott Funchess.
The board had agreed in September to suspend both men without pay after an investigator claimed they had used inappropriate language in the workplace. Lord finished his 45-day suspension Nov. 2, near when Funchess was about to begin his 30-day suspension.
But commissioners voted 4-1 at their meeting Nov. 3 to rescind the suspensions of both chiefs, meaning Lord will be paid for the time he was out of work. Commissioner Mark Baugh cast the lone “nay” vote.
“It’s all in the past and everything was taken care of,” Fire Commissioner John Johnston said Thursday. “At the (Nov. 3) meeting, we took care of what we needed to take care of. We’re looking forward and not back.”
According to information from the fire district, including its audio recording of the Nov. 3 meeting, commissioners said they should not have rushed to judgment to the suspensions.
“We only had the investigative report for about 24 hours before the (September) meeting,” Johnston said Thursday. “We didn’t do the right thing. You could say it was a snap judgment.”
Lord and Funchess could not be reached for comment Thursday.
At the board’s request, Tallahassee labor law attorney Mark Bonfanti in June began investigating the two chiefs’ reportedly inappropriate behavior. Bonfanti later concluded that Lord and Funchess had repeatedly used derogatory language in the workplace, including racial and homophobic slurs.
Bonfanti told the commissioners in September that mistrust toward the chiefs was a common theme among some other employees he had interviewed. He also said both chiefs’ alleged behavior warranted unpaid suspensions, but not termination, and advised Lord’s suspension should be longer because he is the chief.
Regarding the alleged wrongdoings, Lord told the board on Nov. 3 that he did not break any federal or state laws and did not violate his employment contract.
At that same meeting, some commissioners said that while the two chiefs admitted to having used some foul language, they spoke truthfully to the investigator.
“We knew they were honest,” Johnston said Thursday. “And most of the people who were interviewed were honest, but some were not.”
He added that allegations of a “hostile workplace” were unfounded.
Besides rescinding the suspensions, the board last week agreed that the chiefs as well as other administrators and the commissioners themselves, will have to complete managerial seminars, including diversity and cultural training. One class will take place later this month and another is set for December.
Copyright 2016 the Northwest Florida Daily News