Medford mayor appoints interim fire chief amid dispute with firefighters union
MEDFORD - Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn has appointed Deputy Chief Todd Evans as the fire department's interim fire chief.
This comes after Lungo-Koehn appointed herself head of the fire department this week, the latest chapter in the mayor's dispute with the firefighters' union. Lungo-Koehn said she's been stonewalled trying to appoint a new chief since the last fire chief retired. She tried to appoint an interim chief from outside the fire department last month but the city said the candidate rescinded the offer "after being dissuaded by union leaders."
"Union leadership scared off my first appointment because he was from another fire department. Hopefully they will support Chief Evans as he has shown to be an honest and forward-thinking leader, who recognizes the need to modernize and expand oversight in the department," said Lungo-Koehn in a statement Thursday.
The firefighters' union accused Lungo-Koehn of not following procedure. The union also filed a complaint on Tuesday, claiming the city owes them unpaid wages. Last month, Lungo-Koehn opened an investigation after nearly every firefighter called in sick on the same day, saying it cost the city more than $92,000 in sick pay and overtime costs. The union denied abusing sick time.
Evans has been with the department since 2001 and was promoted to deputy chief in 2021.