Huron City Council names advisory panel, opens rolling search for fire chief

Unidentified Speaker 3 told the Huron City Council the city needs to move from a three‑captain leadership model to a single, hands‑on fire chief and proposed an advisory panel to screen applicants. "They've done a kick *** job," Unidentified Speaker 3 said of the captains and added, "We need a working chief. We don't need a white shirt chief."

The advisory panel suggested by staff includes local and regional fire officials and community leaders — Monty; Jay Z; Tim Lamb; Danny Antonelli; and Mario (identified as the Sandusky fire chief). Unidentified Speaker 3 said the panel will be an advisory body, not a public committee: "There'll be no minutes. There'll be no recordings," and its role is to interview candidates, score them and forward two to four finalists to Unidentified Speaker 3 for final selection. Andrea (staff) will send resumes directly to the committee rather than prescreening by staff.

Council members praised the captains' service and endorsed the approach while stressing the importance of choosing a long‑term, working chief. "If you get the wrong chief in the fire department, it can do a lot of damage and it can take many years to fix," Unidentified Speaker 3 said. Several members said the preference is a local hire but that out‑of‑state applicants could be considered if they demonstrate a plan to relocate.

On procedure, Unidentified Speaker 3 said the position will be posted widely — local newspapers, registration boards, Indeed and specialized fire‑chief networks — and handled on a rolling basis so the city can interview promising candidates as they appear rather than wait for a closing date. If the committee deems all applicants unacceptable, the position will be reposted.

A council member asked whether residency is required. "The state of Ohio made the residency rule unconstitutional," Unidentified Speaker 3 said, while other council members noted that non‑Ohio applicants would still need to obtain Ohio certification to serve as chief in Huron. The advisory committee was asked to confirm certification eligibility for any out‑of‑state finalist.

The council moved to adjourn after the hiring discussion. Unidentified Speaker 8 moved, and a roll call recorded affirmative responses from members named in the transcript (Beddlecone; Martino; Pause?; Path?; Dyke; Greaves; Peggy); the transcript also contains an un‑attributed "No."