Sun Sentinel
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — Fire Chief Dan Sullivan was fired by letter Monday, six months after being sent home on paid leave amid allegations he had presided over a department that tolerated discrimination and spawned a good old boys environment that belittled minorities and women.
Sullivan, who was hired as a firefighter more than 32 years ago and spent 18 years as chief, declined to comment Monday.
Michael Petit, Sullivan’s attorney, described the investigation that led to the chief’s termination as unfair and incomplete.
“It’s all innuendo and nothing is substantiated,” Petit said. “There are documents that would confirm whether something occurred or did not occur. No document in there substantiates any of the claims made by the 38 witnesses.”
Division Chief Mark Ellis, named acting fire chief in April, will continue to oversee the city’s 78 firefighters and 18 lifeguards until a new chief is named, City Manager Renee Miller said.
Miller spelled out her reasons for terminating Sullivan in a three-page letter sent to the chief Monday.
In the letter, Miller cites a culture of fear, intimidation, disparate treatment and mean-spirited and hostile management during Sullivan’s tenure as chief.
“As the leader of the organization, there are some issues he should have known about and addressed,” Miller said. “It is clear he had knowledge of the culture. And he himself made comments that were inappropriate.”
During the investigation, several firefighters complained that no blacks, Hispanics or women had been promoted to battalion chief.
According to an internal report:
- A black firefighter complained that a supervisor referred to him as “the token.”
- Other firefighters said the same supervisor, a battalion chief, referred to shifts with no women on them as “no bitch Tuesdays.”
- A Jewish firefighter said the chief himself made jokes about him being his “token Jewish source for all things Jewish in the city.”
In her termination letter, Miller criticizes the chief for promoting the very people alleged to be the “worst offenders” in behaving in a hostile way toward their subordinates.
“This is not only poor judgment, it shows a lack of leadership and a comfort level with using fear and intimidation as a foundation of his operation,” she wrote.
During the investigation, Sullivan told the city attorney he was not aware of what was happening behind the scenes. But in her letter, the city manager said the chief was ultimately responsible for the actions of his subordinates.
The months-long investigation that led to the chief’s downfall began in February, when Stephanie Delgado sent an email to Sullivan accusing Deputy Chief Gregg Pagliarulo of showing concern over her ability to do her job as an administrative analyst while pregnant.
Two months later, the city manager placed the chief on leave after Delgado reported hearing him criticizing the city manager’s decision to have the city attorney investigate the claims.
Sullivan preferred an outside consultant handle the investigation, his attorney said.
The entire department – including the chief – had been warned not to discuss the investigation with each other or outsiders.
In September, Miller disciplined Pagliarulo by giving him a written reprimand and sending him to sensitivity training.
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