August 18, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
Hingham Firefighters Local 2398 informed the Selectmen and Town Administrator Tom Mayo in an Aug. 12 letter that an Aug. 11 secret ballot, taken with a majority of the union's voting body present, was unanimous in favor of a "no confidence" vote against Fire Chief Steve Murphy.
In summary, the letter claims that "this vote of no confidence [against the chief] is the result of lack of leadership, inability to communicate, failure to recognize the concerns of the department, fiscal decision-making priorities, and general failure of the overall concern for the well-being and safety of the firefighters of Local 2398."
At the same time, the letter emphasizes that this vote will not affect the service and protection firefighters currently provide to Hingham residents.
A lead-in to a post including the letter that appeared tonight on the Hingham Firefighters Local 2398 Facebook page states that "the health, wellness, and safety [of] the members of Hingham Firefighters Local 2398 has always been, and will always be, the top priority of this union. This sentiment also holds true for the community which we serve."
In response to an email from the Hingham Anchor, Town Administrator Tom Mayo had this to say: "The Town stands by Chief Murphy and his leadership of the Fire Department. We are in the process of reviewing the matters raised in the letter and will respond appropriately."
The three-page letter explains the reasons for the vote, claiming in part a lack of more than a "handful" of meetings with individual members of the union promised by Murphy when he was first appointed chief in March 2018 to ensure every union member had a voice and to "get a feel for where the department stood, as a whole, and how it could be improved."
The letter also alleges that Murphy made several trips to the National Fire Academy in Maryland "for the betterment of his own career"; spent time "on days he would normally be in his office at the fire station" teaching classes at the Mass Fire Academy; and that he "never then shared his expertise with the members of the department."
In addition, the letter refers to the recent "Thin Blue Line" flag issue, noting that Murphy told firefighters they could no longer fly these flags on HFD apparatus in response to a complaint made to the Selectmen's office and its subsequent directive that the flags be taken down because only certain flags are allowed on town property or assets -- an action the union considers to show a lack of support for Hingham firefighters, who consider the flag "a symbol of heroism."
As mentioned above, the letter states, "We want to be clear that this vote of no confidence will in no way have an effect on the service and protection this Local provides to the residents of Hingham. We take pride in providing the highest quality fire and medical services to our community. We do believe this fire department deserves better leadership and support from the top."
In response to an email from the Hingham Anchor for further comment, Hingham Firefighters Local 2398 President Chris Melanson said, "We won't be providing any further statements at this time."
The Anchor also reached out to Chief Murphy tonight and is awaiting his reply.