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Fire chief contests criticism over son’s hiring; union and Kentucky Fire Chiefs back chief; commission moves forward with nepotism ordinance amendment first he—
Summary
Fire Chief Christopher Whiteley and IAFF Local 1807 union leaders defended the integrity of a recent academy hiring after a commissioner said staff had complained about the chief’s son. Chief Whiteley presented email evidence of HR and city attorney approval for the hire; the commission read letters of union and peer-fire-chief support into the
Fire Chief Christopher Whiteley addressed the City Commission on March 4 to rebut comments made at the previous meeting that questioned the propriety of his son’s hiring into the Winchester Fire Department. Whiteley read a sequence of emails and documents — including HR correspondence and a city attorney approval — showing the department followed the advertised interview and hiring process.
Whiteley said the ordinance on nepotism had been amended previously (Ordinance 2-2022, adopted by unanimous vote on second reading in January 2022) and that the hire followed HR procedures, including panel interviews, medical clearances and documented job offers. He said the statements at the March 4 meeting caused a new recruit to question his acceptance into the department and that the insinuations undermined the hiring process.
Union leaders spoke at the meeting in support of Whiteley. Tyler Scott Tays, vice president of IAFF Local 1807 and a Winchester firefighter, told the commission that union members had interviewed and surveyed department personnel and found no evidence that firefighters had contacted the commissioner to complain about the hiring. The union submitted a signed letter stating 100% approval for hiring the recruit and full support for Chief Whiteley.
Mayor Joellen Reed also read a letter from Chief Nathan Mulvey, president of the Kentucky Fire Chiefs, expressing support for Whiteley’s leadership and his record of putting professional qualifications and ethical considerations first in personnel decisions.
Later in the meeting the commission conducted a first reading of an ordinance amending sections of Ordinance 2-2022 related to nepotism; a commissioner moved and the motion carried on first reading. The ordinance summary was placed on the record and the clerk certified a complete copy was available at City Hall.
