Residents and trustees urge delay after surprise submission for Shabnam fire district trustee

Members of the public, including current volunteer firefighters and elected trustees, urged the DeKalb County Board to postpone consideration of a proposed trustee appointment for the Shabnam Community Fire Protection District, saying the nomination departed from past practice and lacked notice to the fire district.

Those concerns came during public comments, where speakers said the executive committee advanced a candidate based on a written self‑nomination rather than following the longstanding custom of accepting a chief’s recommendation. “This came as much surprise because none of the 3 current trustees were stepping down,” said Joe Herman, who identified himself as a volunteer firefighter and paramedic with more than 30 years’ experience. “When there was a vacancy that occurred, the fire chief and remaining trustees would submit an ... person for replacement and then the board would discuss and approve that…