Chair formalizes interim fire co-chiefs, designates single statutory point of contact

The Police and Fire Commission formalized appointments of two assistant chiefs as interim co-chiefs at a special meeting on Feb. 26. Chair said the commission had decided the staffing arrangement during a prior closed session and then informed department staff before releasing a public statement.

“we decided this in our previous meeting, but the decision was made in closed session,” the Chair said, adding that the commission issued a press release about 15 minutes after notifying staff because “I wanted the fire department not to hear it from the press.”

Chair read a motion to appoint assistant chiefs identified in the meeting record as Ray Hinton and Eric Jeltima to serve as interim co-chiefs. The motion, as read aloud, also designates the operations assistant chief (named in the motion as Ray) as the lead for actions that state law and city ordinances require to be handled by a single point of contact. The Chair said this clarification was necessary because, while the department can function with dual interim chiefs for most duties, some statutory and ordinance responsibilities must be assigned to one individual.

Commissioner Dorff moved to approve the appointment and Commissioner Sherman seconded. The commission voted by voice and the Chair announced the motion carried.

After completing that business, the Chair accepted a motion to adjourn, which the commission approved.

The meeting record contains inconsistent spellings for the two appointed assistant chiefs (the record also shows the names as “Ray Featon” and “Eric Geltima” in other places). The commission did not read into the public record additional biographical details, and no separate vote tally by named commissioners was recorded beyond the voice approvals taken at the meeting. The Chair referenced Wisconsin statutes and applicable city ordinances when explaining why a single point of contact is required for certain functions.