Published: June 02, 2009 11:12 pm      

Ronceverte gets new fire chief

RONCEVERTE — Four months after being stripped of its leaders in the midst of an alleged financial scandal, this city’s beleaguered volunteer fire department has a new chief, albeit not without additional controversy.

Challenged by Casey Morgan, the VFD’s representative on the search committee appointed to recommend an applicant for the chief’s post, city council retreated into a 90-minute executive session Monday evening. Upon reconvening in open session, council voted to immediately adjourn into yet another closed-door conclave to interview the recommended applicant. That session lasted 20 minutes.

Back in the public eye once more, council swiftly voted with no dissent to appoint Fred Hodges as chief of the VFD.

Hodges, a longtime member of the Ronceverte fire squad before resigning about four years ago, has more recently been involved in the Fairlea VFD, according to City Administrator Blaine Oborn.

“He was a slight favorite of the search committee,” Oborn said.

The other applicant, John Mann, withdrew his name from consideration Monday afternoon.

Morgan protested at the council meeting that a third candidate, whom he declined to name, had emerged late in the process and should be given a chance to compete for the position. He also complained that the search committee’s vote in favor of Hodges was not unanimous, saying both the city’s and the VFD’s legal counsel had recommended unanimity before the issue was forwarded to city council.

The three-member search committee was mandated by a temporary operating agreement entered into by the city and the VFD in mid-February. In addition to a VFD representative, the committee includes the mayor’s designee — former city council member Roger Griffith — and current city council member Michael Palm.

The agreement was put in place after a judge granted the city a temporary restraining order banning the VFD’s officers and members from accessing bank accounts. That was prompted by a State Police investigation that uncovered “possible illegal withdrawals of funds for personal and other non-fire department-related expenditures by officers, board members and members of the Ronceverte Volunteer Fire Department Inc.,” according to court files.

In the wake of the investigation, eight members of the VFD either resigned or were dismissed, the agreement recounts.

It also established a three-person trustee panel to “govern and control” the VFD. The trustees are Oborn, certified public accountant Jonathan Rice and interim Fire Chief Brandon McCormick.

On May 15, Rice issued a progress report, which is also a part of the court file. Among the actions he reported taking were overseeing the VFD’s bingo nights to “troubleshoot deposit and record-keeping issues” and reclassifying posted expenditures based on research provided by city hall.

On a list of projects yet to be completed are establishing record-keeping procedures for bingo, raffles, hall rental and concession income and establishing purchase order procedures for expenditures.

— E-mail: talvey

@register-herald.com