In what became a very emotional night at the Town Council meeting on Monday, Fire Chief, Bo Butler, offered his resignation.
The decision Butler said ultimately came down to his requirement to balance the budget, conflicting with what he thought was right, which was to have 13 firefighters per shift, after a warrant article passed in March with 70% of the vote, called for the staffing levels.
“As fire chief I have two obligations. The first obligation is to balance the budget the taxpayers provide me. The second obligation is to protect the people that provide that service to the community that expect that service,” Butler said.
Butler explained that “because the way my budget is trending right now, given circumstances that are outside of my control, I’m flying through those monies appropriated by the taxpayers so I’ve come to an inflection point. I have a decision to make. The decision is to cut services from 13, 12, down to 11 although the community told me they want 13, or not execute what I have to do as a fire chief because of my budget obligations.”
“There are things worth fighting for still in this country for sure that I believe in with all my heart and all my soul which allows me the execute the way I’m going to execute in this instance,” Butler said.
Instead of making cuts to staffing, Butler decided to tender his resignation.
“It’s not that I can’t give the order to drop services, but I won’t give the order because I love these people, because I know their families, and their wives, and their husbands, and their children intimately. We are involved with each others lives, which is hard for someone that doesn’t understand the fire service to truly realize how important these people behind me are to me and I’m not going to be the chief to violate my own character, and my own integrity, and my own principle to come under budget at the cost of their health and safety first and foremost,” Butler said. “And any chief that thinks otherwise needs to realign his priorities.”
He added: “So I am providing you my resignation tonight as chief of the Londonderry Fire Department.”
No decision was made by the Town Council during the meeting to accept the resignation or not.
During Butler’s speech, he asked the rank in file, to maintain its composure.
“The community will rise to the occasion but it takes this sacrifice to get there, it will, I know my hometown you will get the money you need to carry out your mission to be safe so you can provide the service to the people that are counting on you, and then give you every tool you can to get back home to your loved ones in one piece,” Butler said.
Town Manager, Mike Malaguti, in a statement to the Londonderry Times, wrote “Chad Franz and I learned of the Fire Chief’s intention to resign entirely from the fire service, ten hours before last night’s Town Council meeting.”
“While the details of that conversation are private, it is important to note that we asked the Chief to reconsider, and for more time. When he indicated his mind was made up, I asked the Chief to remain a full-time member of LFD in some capacity,” Malaguti wrote. “The Chief shared his love and support for us, and we did the same for him. I made no attempt to discourage the Chief from saying his piece last night in a way that was true to himself, as I have always done with all town employees.” Malaguti’s response, in its entirety, can be read on page 2.
In a Facebook post Tuesday morning, Christopher A. Schofield, the President of Local 3160, which represents the Fire Department’s rank in file wrote “This past March, the citizens of Londonderry overwhelmingly supported Warrant Article 15, which called for the addition of four firefighters, ensuring that each shift would be staffed with 13 personnel. This decision, made by the community, prioritized public safety and provided our firefighters with the necessary resources to protect the town effectively.”
“However, town leadership has chosen not to follow the wishes of the community. Instead, they have unfairly placed blame on Chief Bo Butler for circumstances outside of his control,” Schofield wrote. “The Town Manager has now mandated that Chief Butler reduce staff from 13 to 11 members per shift, despite the clear directive from the voters. They have also threatened him with disciplinary action if he does not comply.”
Schofield also wrote about Butler’s character saying “Chief Butler, a man of deep principles and unwavering integrity, refused to compromise the safety of our citizens or go against the will of the community. Last night, he made the difficult decision to resign from his position. His resignation is a tremendous loss for our department and town, but it is a testament to his dedication to doing what is right for the people of Londonderry.”
“This is not the first time that town leadership has disregarded the well-being of our citizens and employees. Last year, Town Manager Malaguti and Finance Director Campo instituted a town wide budget freeze, which led to a reduction in services, including the closure of the Central Engine Company,” Schofield wrote. “Despite these cuts, the town ended the fiscal year with a budget surplus of nearly $600,000, which will likely be deposited into the undesignated fund balance. This surplus was achieved at the expense of the community’s safety and the well-being of all town employees.”
Schofield ended his letter by saying, “We call on town leadership to respect the wishes of the people of Londonderry and honor the staffing levels that were approved by the voters. Public safety must not be compromised for financial maneuvering, and our firefighters should not be forced to work under conditions that put them and the community at greater risk.”
“We ask for your continued support as we advocate for the safety and well-being of Londonderry and its first responders,” Schofield wrote.
Battalion Chief, Bruce Bruce Hallowell, spoke during the meeting, telling the emotional story of almost dying during a call two years ago. He said the person who saved him was Butler.
“We were 30 seconds in this community away from a line of duty death. That’s what we’re talking about. And the man that just left here he saved my life,” he said.
Hallowell said he also hoped there would be a way for him to return.
“So I ask, I beg, please restore the ability for our leader to return to his post,” he said.
Dan Bouchard, a former Londonderry police officer, said he saw Butler grow up, and said unlike some past department heads, the fire department supports Butler.
“We wanted the 13 on staff, I’m an elderly person, I have a community that has a lot of elderly people, we have a lot of elderly people in the community,” Bouchard said.
Bouchard also urged the Town Council to think about the decision taking place.
“I don’t know what happened here, but it’s not good to lose Bo Butler as the chief, and please don’t let him walk away,” Bouchard said.
Former Town Councilor, and the father of Bo, Jim Butler, spoke during the meeting, raising concerns, including a letter Bo received from Town Manager, Mike Malaguti, about a five day suspension without pay.
“I saw a letter from my son, who’s never had a problem, people have said he’s done great things, he’s got great reviews, I saw a letter from your Town Manager that said he was going to get suspended for five days without pay,” Butler said.
The Londonderry Times has not received a copy of the letter mentioned.
“I’ll tell you something, you have a management problem here, look into it,” Butler said.
Editors Note: A full rebuttal letter from Malaguti can be found on page 2.