Cedar Rapids could have new fire chief in a few days

CEDAR RAPIDS – City Manager Jeff Pomeranz said Monday that he hopes to name the city's new fire chief in a few days.

Pomeranz and a City Hall evaluation team on Monday interviewed five finalists among 43 applicants for the job. As part of the interview process, the five attended a public open house last night at Kirkwood Community College.

Two of the five are current Cedar Rapids Fire Department commanders: Mark English, 46, who has served two recent stints as the city's interim fire chief and is currently in that position; and Gregory Smith, 41, a battalion chief and interim assistant fire chief.

The other finalists are Gregg Cleveland, 51, fire chief in La Crosse, Wis; John “David” Feichtner, 39, staff lieutenant at the Farmington Hills, Mich., Fire Department; and Greg Main, 47, chief of operations at the Evansville, Ind., Fire Department.

Mayor Ron Corbett on Monday said he and two council members had lunch on Monday with the five finalists for chief.

Pomeranz makes the selection with the council then voting on the city manager's choice, the mayor said.

The new chief will fill the vacancy left in February when Fire Chief Stephen Reid, then 59 and in the job for nine months, abruptly resigned without notice. Reid said he left because the city manager and City Council were not supporting the day-to-day operation of the fire department for training, equipment and college tuition reimbursement for firefighters. Reid also wanted to hire more firefighters.

Reid replaced Steve Havlik, who had served as fire chief for 12 years and had been with the department for nearly 30 years.