Give deputy chief the boot

I’m writing in reference to the article in Sunday’s Northwest section about the City Council’s decision to eliminate one of the many deputy fire chiefs positions. I want to applaud the City Council for their decision and commend them for steering Spokane in a direction of fiscal responsibility.

It appears this decision has outraged some of the hierarchy of city government and they vehemently defend the need for this $148,000-a-year position because losing it “will create an impossibility for getting the job done” and “it’s essential to the department’s operations.” The furor that this decision has wrought is proof that there is a systemic problem in government: Keep the fat and cut the workers.

There was no furor when 13 firefighters were in jeopardy of being eliminated. There were no front-page headlines saying that the loss of these positions would “create an impossibility for getting the job done.”

Let the PEOPLE decide: one deputy fire chief or 13 trained firefighters who will be tasked with putting out the fire at your house or saving the lives of your loved ones.

Maybe it is time for our City Council to start micromanaging City Hall!

Shawn Poole

Spokane