Middletown council approves firefighter contract and appoints David Albert as fire chief

The Middletown Common Council unanimously approved a three‑year tentative agreement with Middletown Professional Firefighters Local 10‑73 and voted to appoint Deputy Chief David Albert as the city’s next fire chief at its Oct. 7 meeting.

Public comment focused heavily on the contract and the appointment. Eric Costa, Middletown’s police chief, spoke in support of Albert, saying Albert “was one of the main catalysts” behind joint police‑fire crisis intervention training and praising his leadership and work ethic. Multiple union leaders and rank‑and‑file firefighters—representing Local 10‑73—told the council the tentative agreement balances member needs and the city’s fiscal constraints; union president Mike Carta said the deal “provides competitive wages and safeguards key benefits” and pointed to more than $300,000 in projected savings to the city from concessions.

Council members questioned and praised the terms during deliberations. The mayor invited Deputy Chief Albert to address the council before the appointment vote; Albert described his priorities as infrastructure, station repairs and a third station site—work he said would likely take three to five years—and said recruitment efforts previously drew about 300 applicants. He told councilors his “main goals are infrastructure, buildings… and the 3rd station.”

Councilman Ford moved the resolution appointing Albert to salary grade 20, step 5, effective upon adoption; the motion passed unanimously. The council also approved the fire‑department tentative agreement after discussion of its fiscal impacts and pension implications. Council members on both sides of the aisle framed the contract as the result of hard bargaining: Councilman Oserra called the agreement “fair in terms of wage and benefits,” while others noted the city’s constrained budget. Councilmember statements and council votes were recorded on the floor.

What the agreements include: speakers during public comment and council discussion identified a 2.75% raise schedule, preservation of core benefits with modest insurance cost increases, and changes related to sick‑time accruals and payout mechanics (including caps for some employees). The city administration and union negotiating teams presented the MOU as a three‑year tentative agreement that aims to protect retention and public‑safety capacity while keeping near‑term costs manageable.

Next steps: With both the appointment and the tentative agreement adopted at the meeting, the administration will implement the appointment and begin steps to operationalize contract terms. Several council members said they expect continued review of pension and budget effects in coming months.

Quotes used in this report are taken verbatim from the council record and are attributed to the speakers who made them.