ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A special meeting of the Orange Park Town Council was called Tuesday night to discuss whether to remove its fire chief from office.
The meeting lasted nearly two hours, and the Council came to an agreement that Chief Alvin Barker should be allowed to resign. However, factors involving his resignation are still being determined.
Dozens of people filled the chambers after a recommendation from Sarah Campbell, the town manager, to terminate the fire chief.
“Don’t make a decision in haste. Make sure it’s a truly fireable offense before destroying this man’s career,” one Orange Park resident told the Council.
“From my perspective, Sarah [Campbell] is thoughtful in every decision she makes. Steadfast and integrous,” said someone who works for the Town of Orange Park.
Campbell cited three incidents that showed Barker lacked integrity.
She said Campbell wanted to bring in an outside group to discuss life insurance options with the firefighters, which she says is against city policy.
Campbell also felt Barker wasn’t truthful about an email regarding an open data port on the town’s website.
She also said there were harassment claims and ongoing issues with management involving Barker.
During the meeting, Barker’s attorney denied the city manager’s claims.
Barker also would not accept Campbell’s resignation offer and spoke to Council during the meeting.
“I’m trying to clear my name because my name has been drug through the mud,” Barker said. “I have integrity. I disagree with the statements made.”
Ultimately, the Council decided to give Barker the chance to resign. It recommended calling in a third party mediator to discuss his departure, which his attorney said should be scheduled within 30 days.
Mayor Alan Watt said he feels the decision is fair.
“I’m happy to treat him reasonably and have him move on and the town will move on and in the long term it will work out,” Watt told News4Jax.
Barker is able to receive pay while on administrative leave.