KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Mark Holland has responded to a statement he calls a threat to his physical safety made on social media.
He said KCK Firefighter Chris Wing posted the threat on Facebook. Wing is the son of KCK Fire Captain Bob Wing, according to Holland's office.
A screenshot of a post provided by Holland's office reads, “You might need security detail when you start witch hunts like so……..” accompanied by a recording of a robocall sent by the mayor on Wednesday evening. Holland says Chris Wing made the post, which the screenshot appears to show.
A screenshot provided by the Kansas City, Kansas mayor's office shows an alleged threat made to the mayor on Facebook.
Mayor Holland said in a statement that he sent the robocall to alert the public to a meeting in which he planned to discuss corruption within the fire department.
This came after a recent report which said firefighters were being paid thousands of dollars for shifts they weren’t actually working in a practice known as shift trading, said to be common in fire departments across the country.
Mayor Holland said in the case of the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department, the system is being abused.
Fire Captain Bob Wing denied the mayor’s allegations about shift trading, saying “Everyone is living by the letter of the law.”
Mayor Holland said he filed a report with KCK police in addition to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, since he is an elected official.
He also said that while he knows there are many “good, hard working, honorable and brave firefighters” on staff, the kind of threat made by Chris Wing will not be tolerated. He said it represents the “hostile mentality” of the Fire Union leadership.
Mayor Holland wrote in the statement, “No physical threat will ever stop me from exposing corruption… My hope for my community is that other elected officials will stand firm in the face of such threats.”
Click here to read Mayor Holland's statement.
KCK Fire Chief Keven Shirley and Unified Government County Administrator Doug Bach put out a joint statement on the shift trading practice. That can be read below:
Trading time is an accepted, legal practice which is allowed under federal law and the labor contract between the Unified Government and the KCK Firefighters Union. The issue facing the Unified Government is when the trading time practice does not follow policies and procedures.
In 2017, the Unified Government Board of Commissioners directed UG staff to examine the issue.
The information gathered will be utilized to review and evaluate the trading time practice making sure it complies with Fair Labor Standards Act provisions and negotiated contract terms.
In the next several months, KCK Fire Department management and Unified Government administration will analyze the data collected, implement administrative changes, and bring recommendations for changes or improvements back to the Commission for consideration.
Any recommended policy changes are subject to collective bargaining and will be discussed during labor contract negotiations with the Firefighters Union for the 2019 contract.
This issue is portrayed by some as the Unified Government versus the KCK Fire Department. This is absolutely not true. The KCK Fire Department is an important part of the Unified Government. Firefighters are valued employees who save lives, while frequently risking their own.
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