Thomas Breen photos
Fire Chief Alston (right) with Asst. Chief Justin McCarthy and other fire chiefs from throughout region at Monday night's vote.
Fire union members and leaders standing in opposition to Alston's reappointment during the vote.
With over a dozen city firefighters standing in opposition at the back of the room, and a half-dozen regional fire chiefs sitting up front in support, the Board of Alders unanimously approved John Alston’s reappointment to serve another four years as the head of the New Haven Fire Department.
That was the outcome of Monday night’s latest regular bimonthly meeting of the full Board of Alders. The in-person meeting took place in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.
All of the alders present on Monday voted to confirm the mayor’s reappointment of Alston for another four-year term as fire chief. Alston, who has led the department for the past five and a half years, is now in place for a term that runs through Jan. 31, 2026.
The vote came one week after a contentious Aldermanic Affairs Committee meeting, during which the two dozen firefighters who came out to testify online split evenly between supporting and opposing the chief’s reappointment.
Supporters praised Alston for diversifying the department, improving its technological capabilities, and leading it ably through a number of crises — including the mass K2 poisoning on the Green in 2018, the on-duty death of Firefighter Ricardo Torres in May 2021, and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Critics, including the leadership of the city’s fire union, lambasted him for not responding quickly enough to fixing over 100 broken fire hydrants, for presiding over an inadequate supply of apparatus vehicles and other department infrastructure, and for failing to do enough to lift morale at a time when many of its members are hurting.
Alston and supporters up front, opponents in the back.
None of those specific issues came up during the alders’ 10-minute discussion over whether or not to approve Alston’s reappointment.
But the chamber did have a sizeable audience in attendance, with roughly two dozen fire union leaders and members who had been critical of Alston standing at the back of the room with their arms crossed, staring out at the alders.
Sitting in a pew closer to the legislators, Alston was joined by Assistant Chief Justin McCarthy, as well as by a half-dozen fire chiefs from other surrounding departments, including West Haven and Norwich.
East Rock Alder Anna Festa.
The handful of local legislators who did speak up from the floor offered their support for Alston while also making clear to the rank-and-file firefighters that their concerns have been heard.
“I stand in support of Chief Alston’s reappointment,” East Rock Alder Anna Festa said. “I don’t believe there is anyone who is perfect in this world, and that goes for all of us. … Is there work to be done? Yes, there is always work to be done. The question is: What are we as a board, what is leadership, what is the administration, what is the New Haven Fire Department going to do to address some of these concerns?”
Beaver Hills Alder Shafiq Abdussabur agreed.
He called on his legislative colleagues to “make sure we follow up on these issues” raised by the rank-and-file firefighters. He said he supports the chief and will continue to listen to and act on firefighters’ concerns “so we can have a successful fire department.”
Alston (right) with Board of Alders Majority Leader Richard Furlow before Monday night's vote.
After the vote, in a brief and solemn statement to the press, Alston said that, while he is grateful for the support of the Elicker Administration, the alders, and those firefighters who have backed his reappointment, this is not a night for celebration.
Why not?
“I don’t care if it was one firefighter who had an issue with my reappointment,” he said. “I want to hear from them, and I want to address that.”
To those who spoke up against his reappointment, he directed the following message: “I hear you, and I’m willing to work with you.”
After the vote, Local 825 fire union President Patrick Cannon and Vice-President Daniel Del Prete said they were encouraged by the alders’ comments about the importance of listening to and acting on the union’s concerns about Alston’s leadership.
“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Cannon said. That includes fixing broken fire hydrants, hiring mechanics to do that work, filling the permanent EMS director position, and fully staffing the training academy.
“Local 825 will make sure everyone is accountable,” he said.
The Town of Norwich fire chief, population 40K and 56 miles from here, supports Alston. Wow. Is this about color or competence - diversifying a work force is a job criteria? Let's all look forward to continuing unsolved real problems and many millions in annual budget overruns. Too bad the NHPD chief didn't enjoy such a low bar.