The people of Richmond County deserve a better fire chief than Antonio Burden, and the Augusta/Richmond County Commissioners need to make sure they get better by voting against him when they consider his candidacy later this month.
A nationwide search by a national recruiting firm procured 51 candidates for the job. The candidates were classified as either a Tier 1 or Tier 2. Tier 2 candidates almost never get the job, according to the search firm, GovHR. Burden who did not score either a Tier 1 or Tier 2 ranking, yet he managed to rise to the top of the pile, beating out other, more experienced candidates with less baggage.
In fact, the public records, along with emails between the Augusta Human Resources Department and GovHR, show that Burden was nowhere near the top of the candidate list.
Further, more questions than answers remain about Burden’s selection. Emails from GovHR seem to indicate that Burden never even applied for the job. Instead, City Administrator Odie Johnson had him added to the list of finalists late in the process.
Indeed, the GovHR management warned the city on at least two occasions that Burden was not even qualified enough for its staff to invest time conducting a background check.
Had the search firm staff conducted a detailed look into Burden’s background, they would have learned of his recent suspension for visiting a liquor store in his county owned vehicle, a fact that would have likely eliminated Burden. They would have also discovered he was found in contempt of court twice for not following a judge’s orders to pay his bills.
The Augusta Fire Department is the largest city department not run by an elected official. The city’s elected officials need to do their due diligence in finding the right person for the job.
A high turn-over rate and extremely low morale among the fire fighter ranks were exactly the reason former Fire Chief Chris James had retire. By hiring a man who is so clearly unqualified for the job, the Augusta Commission would be almost guaranteeing an exodus of seasoned and able firefighters.
Modern firefighters respond to more than just fires. They assist in extricating people from wrecked vehicles, and they aid in containing chemical and toxic gas spills, all the while maintaining equipment worth millions of dollars.
A majority of the Augusta Commission still seem poised to hire Burden. Only two commissioners have spoken out publicly about the selection process. Those two believe the process needs to be rewound back to the beginning and started over. We agree with them.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke and District 3 Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight say they were not given much more than 24 hours to prepare to interview candidates, and they were only provided with the most basic of information on the candidates.
Commissioner Brandon Garrett confirmed this was the first interview for a department head that commissioners did not receive full resumes or the scoring matrix.
Based on what was called a “consensus” vote, held out of public view, Burden was announced as the finalist for the job.
It took a court order for the media and the public to get access to documents detailing Burden’s credentials, as well as those of the other candidates.
Augusta Commissioners need to pause, then start the process anew, just like the Board of Regents has done recently in its search for a new chancellor for the University System of Georgia. It takes big men and women to eat crow, admit they messed up and start over. It’s time for the commission to do exactly that. And this time, they need to be transparent with the public on who they determine to be finalists – and how they make that determination.
The decision on who the next fire chief is a huge one and needs more consideration than a rushed, secretive and manipulated process. Commissioners need to step up show they’re serious about serving the citizens of Richmond County by voting against Burden and voting for a renewed search process.
