Outgoing St. Clair Shores Fire Chief James Piper will officially leave his post on June. 2. Piper has accepted a position as city manager for a municipality in Texas.
By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published May 22, 2026
ST. CLAIR SHORES — After a run of 8 1/2 years as the city’s top fire official, Fire Chief James Piper will be leaving the position.
At the grand opening for the city’s Central Fire Station on May 15, Piper said that he has accepted a city manager position for a municipality in the panhandle of Texas.
“Get there a little closer to our family and take on the next chapter for me professionally,” Piper said.
His last day at the department is on June 2 but he said he plans to leave the Friday before.
Piper said he thinks the city will conduct a national search and post the position on its website.
The firefighters already know about the departure and Piper said he’s been keeping city management as well as the crews up to date during the process.
“They (the crews) knew that this was a possibility,” Piper said.
Piper said any good, hard-charging agency at some point will change leadership and head on to the next chapter.
City Manager Dustin Lent and Assistant City Manager Matthew Baumgarten said on May 15 that the search for a new fire chief has already started, and they already have a few applicants.
“And even informally we’ve had a couple of really impressive individuals reach out to us and say they might want to be the next leader of our department,” Baumgarten said.
Lent said city administrators are very sad to see Piper go but that they’re excited for his next adventure.
“He has done a great job leading that department for the past eight years,” Lent said.
He said whenever they lose a department head, especially of Piper’s caliber, it’s always a loss to the community.
“But, as Matt said, we have quite a few great applicants that have already put their name in and we look forward to starting the new process,” Lent said.
At the St. Clair Shores City Council meeting on May 18, Lent announced that it is the last time Piper will be at a St. Clair Shores council meeting.
“He’s been one of our great department heads,” Lent said. “I’ve really appreciated my time working with him and I just want to wish him the best of luck in his new endeavors.”
Mayor Kip Walby said he thinks having the new Central Fire Station and the hose uncoupling — which served as the station’s ribbon-cutting — is a great way to go out.
“I think I’ve been in a lot of meetings with him over the years and I think Texas always seemed to be pulling him home no matter what," Walby said. “We appreciate your service to the community for these past many years, and you’ve done an excellent job for our community.”
Call Staff Writer Alyssa Ochss at (586) 498-1103.