By Anne Lindberg
The St. Petersburg Times
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — Derryl O’Neal on Wednesday became the second fire chief within two weeks to lose his job to dustups over consolidation issues.
Whether O’Neal’s ouster was justified depends on your viewpoint.
If you’re Madeira Beach City Manager W.D. Higginbotham, the former chief was an insubordinate employee who tried to cut deals behind his bosses’ backs and tried to interfere in a nearby city’s referendum.
If you’re O’Neal, you’re a loyal employee looking out for the fiscal health of your city and the welfare of residents.
The commotion began in Belleair Bluffs, which, like all governments, is facing declining tax revenue. Mayor Chris Arbutine and the council decided to eliminate the Fire Department and let Largo provide fire service. The council set a Sept. 1 referendum.
All seemed well until Belleair Bluffs fire Chief Pat Competelli backed off on his endorsement of the idea. Competelli and a Belleair Bluffs council member met with officials from Belleair, which had decided to switch from Belleair Bluffs to Largo for fire service. Competelli was fired Aug. 5.
Enter O’Neal, who had been meeting with chiefs from other beach communities and one or two mainland cities to discuss the possibility of a loose consolidation of services that could later become more formalized. A citizens group from Belleair Bluffs invited him to talk about the ideas, which he did in a two-paragraph e-mail printed on the group’s Web site, savebluffsfire.com, under the title “There Is a Viable Option.”
Arbutine, the Belleair Bluffs mayor, wrote Higginbotham a letter Tuesday complaining about O’Neal.
Higginbotham gave O’Neal a choice: resign or be fired. O’Neal chose to resign although he had failed to send in his resignation by late Wednesday and had refused to turn over his keys to City Hall.
Higginbotham said he ordered locks to be changed and sent O’Neal a letter firing him.
O’Neal said Higginbotham knew of his activities.
“Absolutely, absolutely, he knew,” O’Neal said. “I thought everything was fine. ... I thought we were doing a good thing.”
Higginbotham says O’Neal kept him in the dark.
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The Belleair Bluffs Fire Fighters, affiliated with the International Association of Firefighters Local 1158, would like to clarify their position on the firing of fire Chief Patrick Competelli and the upcoming referendum. They’ve been asked by several citizens what their take is on the whole situation. It is as follows:
1. Firing of Chief Competelli: The firefighters feel Chief Competelli was unjustly terminated. Their fire chief was simply doing his job. In coming up with a plan “B” as directed by his commission in a public meeting, he came across some discrepancies and pointed them out as well as some valid safety concerns. If given the opportunity, he probably would have explained further his e-mail and his plan “B” option along with the two reduced fire budgets he prepared — one budget for an advanced life support fire department and one budget for a basic life support fire department.
2. The referendum: Your Belleair Bluffs firefighters do not support or oppose it. This matter is purely up to the citizens of Belleair Bluffs to decide. Either way you vote, please know that your firefighters will be there for your emergencies at least until Sept. 30, 2009.
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