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Euclid civil service panel removes multiple candidates, approves two firefighter hires
Summary
At its Jan. 6 meeting the City of Euclid Civil Service Commission removed multiple names from the Nov. 4, 2025 fire entry-level list for nonresponse, candidate requests and other causes, and approved hiring Patrick Bergen and Benjamin Gullah effective Jan. 12, 2026; commissioners discussed safeguards after relatives of a hire were noted to be on the force.
The City of Euclid Civil Service Commission on Jan. 6 approved several personnel actions affecting the Euclid Fire Department entry-level list and confirmed two new firefighter hires.
The commission voted to remove five candidates from the certified Nov. 4, 2025 entry-level list for failing to respond to communications; it also removed a larger set of candidates who requested removal and a third group removed for cause (including failure to appear for interviews or failure to enroll in required EMT or fire school training). The chair read the candidate numbers and names into the record before each vote, and motions passed by voice vote.
The mayor submitted a Jan. 6 letter asking the commission to approve appointments of Patrick Bergen and Benjamin Gullah from the certified list, with an effective start date of Jan. 12, 2026. Commissioner Laura Robinson presented the letter; the commission voted unanimously to approve the hires.
A commissioner raised a concern that Benjamin Gullah’s father is currently a platoon chief on B shift and that the new hire also has a sibling who is a current firefighter. The Fire Chief told the commission that the department would assign family members to separate shifts so they would not fall under the platoon chief’s direct command, that the platoon chief was not involved in the hiring or interview process, and that any future promotional or disciplinary actions would be handled by other platoon chiefs who would take the lead and that family members would recuse from participating in promotion votes. "I'm satisfied that that there's been no nepotism," the chair said after the chief described those safeguards.
In addition to the personnel votes, the commission opened with routine business, approved minutes from its Nov. 4 and Nov. 18, 2025 meetings, noted there was no December meeting, and swore in Laura Robinson as a commissioner earlier in the session. The meeting was adjourned shortly after 2:15 p.m.
What happens next: The two appointed firefighters are scheduled to begin work Jan. 12, 2026; the entry-level list will be updated to reflect the removals voted on Jan. 6. The commission did not request further investigation or place any hires on hold.
