乔什所罗门
NJ.com
（MCT）
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the conduct of East Orange Fire Chief Andre Williams after numerous firefighters came forward in a letter alleging that he engaged in “multiple incidents of harassment, retaliation, discrimination and criminal activity.”
该调查是由该市雇用的外部律师进行另一项调查，以解决消防员投诉。
市议会议员艾米·刘易斯（Amy Lewis）于本周确认检察官的调查，该议会主席公共安全委员会主席，是该机构与警察和消防部门的联络。女发言人凯西·卡特（Kathy Carter）说，检察官办公室不会对调查的存在发表评论。
Lewis said she would support placing Williams — who joined the city’s fire department in 2003, was named chief in 2017 and makes $153,700, according to state data — on leave while the investigations remained ongoing.
The prosecutor’s office investigation was triggered by a complaint one firefighter made to the city’s police department, which forwarded it along to prosecutors, according to Lewis. But for months, firefighters have aired grievances about Williams. In a nine-page letter addressed to Mayor Ted Green dated Sept. 27, presidents of the two firefighter unions in East Orange outlined complaints by 11 members of the approximately 200-member paid fire department.
“这封信仅为威廉姆斯酋长的领导下的现任副酋长，上尉和消防员的创伤经历提供了快照，”撰写了这封信的工会总统威廉·金斯顿（William Kingston）和消防员加勒特·温恩（Garrett Winn）写道。“迄今为止，东橙消防局的成员数量令人震惊，他们在担心威廉姆斯酋长的报复时受到了伤害和恐吓。”
市长办公室拒绝发表评论，引用人事事务，所有其他市议会成员均未返回电话或电子邮件，拒绝发表评论或推迟给市长办公室发表任何评论。
Reached by phone Thursday, Williams told a reporter he would call back but did not reply to two subsequent voicemails and a text message.
消防员说，这封信包括一系列指控，其中一些已经报告给该市的人力资源部门。
One firefighter, who was in a same-sex relationship and also took leave from work to serve in the U.S. military, was singled out because of her sexual orientation and came under fire from Williams because of her military service, according to the letter.
这封信引用威廉姆斯说：“她需要做更多的消防员工作和更少的军事工作，以便所有问题都可以消失。”
At least two firefighters alleged Williams resisted promoting them, with one saying Williams filed administrative charges against him before beginning the promotion process so that the firefighter could be skipped over. The letter alleges that in the other case, Williams, who is Black, resisted promoting the firefighter, who is white, saying: “There is a black man in power now. I am not promoting any of these white boys.”
这封信说，这位白人消防员最终被晋升，但后来被“系统地骚扰”，包括被迫购买促销活动的票“作为他的促销付款”。
这封信说，另一位对威廉姆斯提出投诉的消防员在一次闭门会议上被说服了，以拒绝投诉，以换取对他的行政指控撤销。这封信说，消防员坚持了交易的结束，但指控从未消失，他的薪水被停靠了2,000美元以上。
Another firefighter, who had concerns about a rodent infestation within a firehouse, was sent to serve on a busy rescue truck after someone sent a photograph to Williams depicting an unsent email that the fire firefighter was drafting to the city’s public safety director about the unsanitary conditions.
“It is well known within the department that Chief Williams has openly made a mockery of the incident,” the letter said, with Williams making comments about how the firefighter was “wishing he would have kept his mouth shut, but now he’ll be too busy on Rescue to talk.”
这封信还声称，威廉姆斯同意与一群消防员一起从城市拍卖中购买财产，目的是将建筑物转变为酒吧餐厅。但是，一旦纽约市否认了这些计划，威廉姆斯就停止了付款的一部分。一名消防员向州社区事务部提出了道德投诉，指控威廉姆斯没有在公共财务披露表上披露他对财产的所有权。
一个消防员,Akeem坎宁安,印版r “firefighter of the year” within the city, said speaking out cost him his job. He had been on approved leave from work, he said, but after he raised complaints against Williams, the chief declared him absent without leave. He said he hopes to get reinstated.
“Cunningham feels as though he is under attack, having been wrongfully terminated in retaliation for exposing illicit practices within the management of the East Orange fire department,” his attorney, Timothy Smith, said in a statement. “The fact that he has gone from being honored as firefighter of the year to being railroaded off the job is outrageous.”
撰写这封信的金斯敦和温恩在一份声明中说，到目前为止，前往该市的人力资源部门还没有为工会成员提供任何追索权。而且，他们说，纽约市外部调查员都没有联系他们的成员。
The outside counsel,Victor A. Afanadorof Newark and Philadelphia-based Lite DePalma Greenberg & Afanador, LLC, was assigned in September, before the mayor received the letter, according to city spokesperson Connie Jackson. Afanador did not respond to voicemail and email seeking comment.
金斯顿和韦恩在l中写道etter that they either want Williams placed on paid or unpaid leave until the investigations are complete, or they want their members who feel harassed to be able to take paid leave.
Lewis, the council member, said wouldn’t support placing firefighters on paid leave, as having firefighters out isn’t in the best interest of the city.
但是让威廉姆斯休假吗？刘易斯说：“我支持这一点，”刘易斯说。“如果大多数人是劳动力，我都会有同样的感觉，我认为我们必须将催化剂带出该地区并应对。”
She said she was concerned that some of the acrimony was spilling out to fire scenes — moments, she said, when “there should be no distraction.”
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today toNJ.com。
乔什所罗门可能会在jsolomon@njadvancemedia.com。
©2021 Advance Local Media LLC. VisitNJ.com。分发Tribune Content Agency，LLC。
