Former Fire Chief Wants Private Meetings

The committee meeting about the possible closure of two fire stations and improving fire coverage is a sham in my opinion. How can closing fire stations improve service? Let’s be honest about this, it is about saving cost for the city of Evansville not about improving services. Now we hear that one of the committee members wants the meetings to be private. In a memo former District Fire Chief Ken Zuber sent out to committee members, he had requested that future meetings on the proposed fire station closings meet behind closed doors. He says the group has, in his words "merely bandstanded in front of the public without a common voice" .... And it needs to "sit down without the prying eyes of the media and public."

When the news broke about the memo, what did committee member and Representative for the Second Ward City Councilwoman Missy Mosby have to say about the memo? Well she said, "I'm curious. Who gave you his email?" "But we're going to have to have a little more respect from the audience to have our meetings and talk amongst each other without them standing up and applauding or yelling at us," Mosby said.

Has Councilwoman Missy Mosby forgotten who she is representing? I think so, and I think her voting record in the City Council proves this. How dare the people of the wards affected by the closing of the fire stations think they should be able to voice their displeasure and exercise their First Amendment rights. They should be respectful but complaining about them standing up and applauding is a bit much.

Maybe Councilwoman Missy Mosby needs to read the following from Wikipedia. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the Congress from making laws "respecting an establishment of religion", impeding the free exercise of religion, infringing on the freedom of speech and infringing on the freedom of the press. In the 20th century, the Supreme Court held that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment applies the First Amendment to each state, including any local government.

Missy Mosby has already made up her mind and said she supports Chief Keith Jarboe on the closings. Councilwoman Mosby should not be on the committee since she has already made up her mind on the issue.

If Councilwoman Missy Mosby wants to represent the Second Ward then she should be on the same page as committee member Wendy Bredhold. She should be raising a stink about the possible closing of the two hose houses.

Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) is not the only company in the business of providing information about property/casualty insurance risk to the insurance industry.

Here is something I found interesting on ISO’s web site. “Nation’s Fire Departments Face Challenges in Staffing, Recruiting and Training Firefighters, and Accessing Water, Survey Finds.” http://www.isogov.com/news/2008/12-01-08.html

I would love to know how other companies rate Evansville fire services.