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WARREN — The Warren City Council meeting on May 20 illustrated the tensions between Mayor Lori Stone and some members of council.
At the meeting, the reappointments of the city’s Fire Chief Orrin Ferguson and its Fire Commissioner Wilburt McAdams were on the agenda. These appointments were originally on the May 13 agenda but were tabled.
Stone, in an interview after the meeting, said she was surprised the appointments received so much pushback.
“I was kind of taken aback when it was tabled,” Stone said. “This didn’t seem to be a very interesting appointment, it was kind of routine.”
Following the tabling of the appointments, Stone facilitated an opportunity for council members to have their questions answered. Councilman Henry Newnan and Councilwoman Melody Magee met with Ferguson and McAdams on May 19 to go over the appointment.
Both appointments were ultimately approved by the council at the May 20 regular meeting, which was preceded by a heated Committee of the Whole meeting earlier that day.
Council Secretary Mindy Moore said, after the meeting, that she had repeatedly heard concerns when visiting stations. She was particularly concerned about Ferguson’s appointment.
“I was actually surprised when the appointment came over,” Moore said.
The Committee of the Whole meeting
The Committee of the Whole meeting focused on Ferguson’s appointment. Moore offered to close the meeting to the public, but Ferguson consented to make it public.
“My intent is not to embarrass somebody, I just want to get the information,” Moore said.
Moore questioned Ferguson about using Fire Department vehicles for personal use, overtime usage, employees being absent without leave (AWOL), equipment installation, equipment disposal, updating policy and drinking during work hours. Moore declined to name her sources unless they were given whistleblower protections. She also noted the rushed appointment process during budget season.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people, I’ve got a lot of documentation, I’ve got a folder full of things,” Moore said at the meeting. “I have a lot of names, and a lot of people have told me things. People are afraid to say things. Do you think people in your administration would come and tell things about you and not be afraid of hurting your feelings or jeopardizing their position?”
Ferguson pushed back against all the claims. At one point Magee asked how — since the anonymous sources didn’t feel comfortable contacting Ferguson — was communication being improved in the department. He said meetings are important to open channels of communication. Despite this, he said he can’t stop department members from talking to others outside of the department.
“I go with truth and facts, period,” Ferguson said. “If there’s anything anybody needs to know, they can come to me. I’ll answer those questions, but I do not deal with false narratives.”
Newnan asked if there was widespread dissatisfaction with Ferguson’s performance in the department. Newnan suggested a survey. He also asked if Ferguson would be receptive to additional training if needed.
“I will take that under consideration, as far as what you said,” Ferguson said. “I will definitely try my best to be more approachable, try my best to get out a little more and speak to the personnel. Hopefully, I can get a little bit more feedback from them, as to how we can move forward to keep building morale and keep communication with each other.”
Councilman Gary Boike asked if Ferguson had ever been investigated during his career and if the charges had been sustained.
Ferguson said he had been investigated once, but the charges were not sustained. He did not disclose details of the investigation.
McAdams attempted to dispel some of the rumors, including one where Ferguson drove a department vehicle to get his daughter at Michigan State University in the wake of the Feb.13, 2023 shooting.
“He did not go to Lansing, neither one of us went to Lansing to get our daughters,” McAdams said. “There are city of Warren vehicles that went to Lansing, none from the fire department.”
McAdams said he approves all overtime requests. He said the AWOL employee was a cadet and not a full-time employee. He said he’s no longer with the department.
At the close of the meeting, Stone asked why she was not alerted to the concerns earlier. She also expressed concern about how the claims were leveled.
“I have serious concerns of individuals that repeat unsubstantiated claims, rumors and innuendos and fail to provide evidence or documentation and treat that as fact instead of hearsay,” she said. “They do not hold the same standard. I am not a legal expert, but I do understand what level of integrity an allegation needs to be put forth and needs to be substantiated. We’re dealing with professional careers here.”
Following the meeting, Stone confirmed she would look into any accusations about Ferguson if they could be substantiated. She said she’s visited each station and that no one approached her about the accusations.
The regular meeting
During a public comment portion of the May 20 regular meeting, Stone advocated for the two reappointments. She spoke to the pair’s integrity and leadership qualities.
“These are two distinguished fire professionals,” Stone said. “Distinguished in our department, in our city and across the region.”
Stone also mentioned the efforts each has made to improve the department, ranging from safety to technology updates.
Both McAdams and Ferguson spoke about their qualifications for the positions during public comment as well. McAdams has been at the commissioner post since 2008 when he was initially appointed by then-Mayor Jim Fouts. Ferguson has been with the department a total of 32 years and has served as chief for the last four.
McAdam’s reappointment was unanimously approved. There were initial concerns about nepotism after McAdams’ son became a firefighter with the department, but an agreement was struck with the department’s union on May 20. This seemed to satisfy most concerns since it would ensure McAdams’s son would have a different chain of command.
The council separated out the votes for the reappointments. When Ferguson’s came up, Moore and Councilman Jonathan Lafferty advocated against it.
“My colleagues have asked me if you would be willing to take an oath that everything you said in the committee meeting of the whole was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” Moore said. “Then we would have an investigation to confirm and make sure that any of the allegations that have been brought forward are with or without merit.”
Ferguson conferred with Acting City Attorney Mary Michaels before answering that he would be willing to take the oath but would not be willing to undergo an investigation.
At different points during council’s discussion of Ferguson’s appointment, Stone attempted to speak. She was denied the opportunity to speak while Ferguson was at the lectern.
In a June 3 interview, Stone said she was attempting to explain the timeline for the appointments, which was called into question by Moore. Stone said the council was given ample time to review the appointments and that her office acted in accordance with the charter. She also said an investigation after the fact would be inappropriate.
“Take the time, do your due diligence, be prepared for the City Council meeting, you have two when an appointment is made,” Stone said. “The suggestion of, ‘Oh, we’ll do this later, we’ll do this after the fact,’ is problematic. It is not in the language of the charter. I just wanted to remind her what the charter language spells out.”
Moore said she thought the mayor’s interruptions were “unusual.”
“I don’t know what she was doing,” she said after the meeting. “It was inappropriate.”
The vote ultimately broke 4-3, resulting in Ferguson’s reappointment. Councilman Dave Dwyer, Lafferty and Moore voted to deny the appointment. Magee, Boike, Newnan and Council President Angela Rogensues voted against the motion to deny Ferguson’s reappointment. While there was no competing motion to approve, the failed denial vote ultimately led to Ferguson’s reappointment.
