By Stephanie Greco
NEWS Correspondent
A sizeable crowd of Gloucester City firefighters and their families waited patiently for the start of Thursday night\’s City Council meeting, and it was not just to honor four retired firefighters who passed away in recent weeks.
At the start of the meeting, Mayor William James called for a moment of silence to remember the four men, Frank Williams, Sam Monroe, Richard Hubbs, and Marty Coyle.
But, it was not until the public was invited to comment that the main reason for the firefighters\’ attendance came forth.
At issue was Council\’s concern about the \”spiraling\” cost of overtime with-in the City Fire Department, which reached a year-long high of more than $50,000 in the month of August alone, Councilman Nick Marchese said.
In contrast, the firefighters and family members pointed out the inherent dangers of having a \”manpower shortage\” in fighting fires safely.
Steve Skipton, who has lived in Gloucester City all his life, asked Mayor James for a clarification of \”how many firefighters would be on duty\” if his house were on fire.
Another resident praised the fire department for their quick action when power lines came down on her property, and was worried that Council action in the near future would reduce the number of firefighters available for duty.
Linda Ryan spoke for all those in attendance when she asked, \”Why would firefighters want to go into a burning building if they know they won\’t have a job the next day?\”
Her son, Marine Marc Ryan, who was killed in Iraq in 2004, was recently honored in a tribute at a Gloucester City High football game when his jersey number was retired.
She also has a firefighter son and son-in-law, and stated, \”I don\’t want to bury any more sons.\”
She then called for both sides to meet together and negotiate in good faith for a successful resolution of the current impasse.
To reassure the residents, Mayor James, who was himself a long-time member of the Gloucester City Police Department, praised the firefighters for their willingness \”to put their lives on the line\” and considered \”public safety to be (City Council\’s) natural priority.\”
The fact remained, however, that the high cost of overtime \”could not continue to come out of the department\’s operating budget,\” Marchese said.
He added regretfully that there has to be a \”price tag on everything,\” causing an agitated young fire fighter to call out, \”are you putting a price tag on my life?!\”
After the firefighter was escorted from the meeting, there was no further disturbance. Both Council and concerned residents hoped there would be substantial give and take in upcoming meetings between Council and the firefighters.
The proposed erection of billboards along City highways was brought up as a cause for concern by Planning Board Member Jess Torres.
Although Marchese indicated to this reporter that the billboards would bring in considerable revenue, Mr. Torres expressed his opposition to the \”skyline blight\” that would result from the erection of \”900 square foot billboards\” and described how they would negatively impact Gloucester City as a whole.
In other Council action, $40,000 was allocated to treat sewer water overflow for pathogenic material.
Other news included the 6th Annual Heroes to Hero Memorial Scholarship 5-K Run and 5-K Walk, which starts at 9 a.m. from the Mt. Ephraim Fire Department and finishes at the Gloucester City Fire Department, planned for Saturday, October 13.
It was also announced that a Senior Health Fair for residents to receive shots against flu and pneumonia would be Thursday, October 18, from 9 a.m. until noon at the firehouse.
After the meeting, Councilman Marchese praised Gloucester City Library for the excellent programs that enticed over 9,000 patrons into the facility during the month of August alone.
On a personal note, the Councilman indicated that \”now that (he) has a senior student,\” he was looking forward to Senior Parents\’ Day on Saturday, October 13, when all of the fall sports teams at Gloucester City High would be celebrated.
The next meeting of City Council is Thursday, October 25, at 8 p.m. in City Hall, 313 Monmouth St.
ALL THINGS FIRE
All things Gloucester City
This post was imported from a legacy archive. Please excuse any formatting inconsistencies.