MASON CITY – The last time the Mason City council hired a fire chief, it was more or less a disaster, and now they are trying to get it right with a list of finalists to replace the departed Al Dyer, who was known for his flashy ways at Mason City bars.
The City of Mason City is considering five candidates for the Fire Chief position that has been vacant since late 2017. Doug Janssen is currently serving as Mason City’s Interim Fire Chief. The candidates will be in Mason City for the interview process on June 10 and 11.
The five finalists for the Fire Chief vacancy are:
- Erik Bullinger, Battalion Chief with the Burlington Fire Dept.
- Brian Giachino, District Fire Chief with the Cedar Rapids Fire Dept.
- Les Norin, Fire Captain with the Davenport Fire Dept.
- Jarrod Wellik, Fire Chief with the Newton Fire Dept.
- James Zarek, Deputy Fire Chief with the DeKalb, IL Fire Dept.
In April 2018 the City began an extensive search to begin the process of filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Fire Chief Al Dyer, who quit, but not before Councilman John Lee leaked a sensitive memo on his status, leading to a sizable payoff of taxpayer funds to help Dyer get out of the fire station. Following this search, a list of 16 qualified candidates was certified by the Mason City Civil Service Commission last month. We will be conducting interviews of five finalists from this list on June 11th. A key component of the interview process will be an external assessment panel coordinated by Caylor Consulting utilizing Fire Chiefs from around the state of Iowa. It is expected that a final selection will be announced in late June by Interim City Administrator Kevin Jacobson for confirmation by the City Council.
