ELYRIA — There’s a new interim leader of the Fire Department.

Assistant Chief Glenn Saddler said he was asked to assume the duties of fire chief for as long as needed, or until fire Chief John Zielinski officially retires and Capt. Rich Benton permanently assumes the job.

The 30-year veteran of the department has been an assistant fire chief for close to 19 years.

“This is part of the job — to do what is asked of me,” he said, adding with a laugh, “I’m too old to volunteer for anything, but I’m happy to do my job.”

Mayor Bill Grace said he elected to appoint yet another interim chief because it’s what the department needed.

Generally, the department’s chain of command calls for the fire marshal to assume the chief’s duties in the chief’s absence.

“Assistant Chief Bob Dempsey is on as the backup, and there will be days and times when Saddler is away and Dempsey steps in as acting chief, but we needed to have a person act in an interim role,” he said. “Dempsey, as fire marshal, has considerable responsibilities already. It would be a burden for him to assume added responsibilities on a permanent basis.”

When Zielinski first began using his sick time earlier this year and then opted to take a long-term medical leave, Dempsey stepped in to lead the department. But he and Grace could not agree on the direction of the department, and a memo by Dempsey suggesting the department stop responding to medical calls was followed quickly by the mayor’s appointment of Capt. Joe Pronesti as interim chief.

Pronesti was the top candidate for the job of fire chief, but months into his interim tenure he decided he couldn’t stomach the politics that came with the job. That’s when he notified City Hall that he didn’t want the job.

Saddler stepped into the position of interim fire chief Nov. 9, the same day Pronesti returned to shift duties as captain.

While Saddler said he is happy to hold onto the position temporarily, he, too, has tempered his one-time aspirations of being the department’s chief.

In 2001, he was the top scorer on the test administered by the Civil Service Commission that is used to rank potential candidates for fire chief. However, he declined the promotion for personal financial reasons, and Zielinski was awarded the job in his stead.

He didn’t retake the test this year because with roughly three years left in his career, he thought the job should go to a younger employee.

“With respect to the Fire Department, I thought it needed someone that is younger and more enthusiastic,” he said.

“I’m happy to go to work every day, but I’m winding down my career. I see myself as the bridge between Zielinski and Benton. I’m not out to make earth-shattering moves in the department.”

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com. 

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---