Search for Fire Chief Narrowed to 3 Candidates
The city has narrowed the field for fire chief to three candidates, acting City Manager Cynthia Kurtz said Thursday.
Kurtz declined to name the finalists pending notification of other candidates, but sources close to the selection said they include Monrovia Fire Chief Ernest Mitchell and Pasadena Battalion Chief Joe Milligan.
Kurtz said she will interview the trio within a week and announce the choice within two weeks.
The 175-employee Pasadena Fire Department has not had a permanent leader since June 1995, when the city manager at that time dismissed Fire Chief Kaye Pekerol.
Pete Pederson, retired Salt Lake City fire chief, then took the position on a temporary basis until April, when Police Chief Barney Melekian took the helm.
An initial recruitment effort for the position was abandoned earlier this year after the local firefighters union questioned the selection process, alleging that it favored certain candidates.
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