By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown has announced his choice for new City Fire Commissioner.
At a late afternoon news conference at City Hall Tuesday, Brown named Interim commissioner Garnell Whitfield to lead the Buffalo Fire Department.
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Mayor Brown says after conducting a national search, the City received resumes from as far away as Texas and Indiana. But in the end, Brown believes, in these challenging fiscal times and with pressing labor issues, Whitfield is most qualified.
Whitfield is a 26-year veteran of the Buffalo Fire Department and is a former deputy commissioner. He was named interim leader in January after the Mayor released former commissioner Michael Lombardo. The Mayor blamed spiking fire over time costs as one of the reason's why he removed Lombardo. Whitfield told reporters there are a number of steps to lower overtime.
Another major problem is morale within the fire department, as union members continue working without a contract. But Whitfield wasn't about to address that issue.
Whitfield's still faces Common Council approval. He will go before City lawmakers for confirmation hearings, but the Mayor doesn't anticipate any opposition to his appointment.