Hmmmmm, there will be a press conference at 10:30 to announce who it is! Uh, yeah.
This went out to alders last night before the council saying that it would be going out this evening as a press advisory:
For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Herrick
608-257-1369Press Conference to Announce New Madison Fire Chief
When: Wednesday, January 4 2011 10:30 a.m.
Where: Apparatus Room
Fire Station Number 1
316 West Dayton,
Madison, WIMadison Police and Fire Commission Chairman Craig Yapp will introduce Madison’s new Fire Chief.
Ok, so imagine my surprise when Scott Herrick, the attorney for the commission apparently announced to the press who it was. I know people were joking about all the pressure they were getting to tell who it was, but geez.
At first I thought, well, maybe he had to disclose it due to open records or something . . . then I remembered who we were talking about and the Police and Fire Commission and their attorney who are not the most transparent bunch of people and have resisted using city tools to make themselves more transparent. So, what was that all about? Clearly, the announcement was supposed to be in the next hour or so, why’d he leak it? Not a team player? Or bad communication? Whatever it was, its clunky, unprofessional handling of the press on someone’s part. Looks like the attorney was on a different page than the new chief and the mayor – who declined comment or were unavailable.
And, sadly, all of the candidates ended up being men, a sad end Chief Amesqua’s employment with the city given all the accolades we gave her about increasing diversity.
Heh! Sometimes I like the Wisconsin State Journal. Congratulations on forcing him to do that, I have not been met with such luck . . . but then again, I don’t have lawyers and money. That was the real story, when will you write that one?
Working on it…