Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:
Waukegan FD Battalion Chief Georges Bridges, Jr. Larry Shapiro photo
Affirming a policy to select department heads by promoting from within existing city rosters, Mayor Wayne Motley said Wednesday that he will nominate Battalion Chief George Bridges Jr. to succeed Ricco Farrell as chief of the Waukegan Fire Department.
The 54-year-old Chief Farrell announced last week that he plans to retire Oct. 5.
Motley said Wednesday that he met with Farrell afterward to discuss who could best continue the policies and procedures he set in place, and Bridges ended up being the top choice.
Motley said he wanted a chief that would keep the fire department moving forward. “I want continued training — I want that to be first and foremost, because training is a life-safety issue to me.”
Bridges, 44, has been with the department since 1996 and was promoted to lieutenant in 2007. He has served as battalion chief since 2013 when Motley named Farrell chief.
“George has thoroughly prepared himself to take over at a time such as this,” Farrell said. “He’s educated himself for this, and he has a heart and passion for the fire service. He’s going to do the department and people of the city of Waukegan justice.”
“My vision is very simple — firemen and paramedics, they come with a purpose,” Bridges said. “When you come on the fire department, you know your purpose. You’re going to fight fires and you’re going to respond to emergency medical calls. But we need direction, and Chief Farrell came in, and he gave us that direction to go with that purpose. He laid that foundation of educating and training the firefighters. Professional development was something that he definitely wanted, (and) that’s what I’m going to do.”
Motley’s nomination must be confirmed by the City Council, and Bridges’ name will go before aldermen at the start of its Oct. 5 meeting.
Farrell, who became the city’s first African-American fire chief upon his own promotion from battalion chief to the top post two years ago, said he doesn’t feel anyone should read into the fact that his successor is also African-American. “It’s not a black or white thing, it’s a right thing,” Farrell said. “I see George as being an individual who can take this baton and propel this department in the right direction for the next decade, putting Waukegan on the map and keeping firefighters safe.”
#1 by Rj on October 2, 2015 - 1:26 PM
With Waukegan being a “City” with a Mayor/Council form of government there are palpable political undertones. Comments stating race was not a factor in selecting the Chief appear as a thinly veiled attempt to downplay the fact that race was a part of the decision. I’ve been through training and on calls with George Bridges and he seems like a good guy, this post is not meant to quantify or discredit his abilities whatsoever. Furthermore, this is not a discussion about George but about the politics of Waukegan. However, If race wasn’t a deciding factor, and the Mayor and outgoing Chief truly recommended the most qualified candidate, why even address race? Sounds like a they’re trying to preemptively justify their decision in advance of anticipated criticism.