Lewis County Fire District Commissioner Gregory Greene was “concerned” about former Fire Chief Paul Patterson’s “decision-making, management skills, judgment, professionalism and communication style” and considered a motion to terminate his employment before Patterson’s resignation last month, according to a letter sent to the former chief.
“I was willing, in my capacity as the Chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, to bring forward a motion to terminate your probationary employment,” Greene wrote on Sept. 3. However, the proposal became a “moot point” when Patterson resigned from his position after less than a year.
Following the resignation, which came via a nine-word statement scribbled onto a piece of notebook paper at an Aug. 22 commissioners meeting, Patterson said he resigned “under duress” following a threat of termination.
“I have been terminated without cause, but they’re going to say he resigned, but it was definitely under duress,” Patterson said in an Aug. 27 interview with The Chronicle. “I didn’t call the meeting. If I was going to resign, wouldn’t I have called the meeting? It doesn’t make any sense.”
A Detroit native, Patterson joined the district after serving as the deputy chief of the Long County Fire Department in Georgia and had begun to put down roots in Lewis County.
According to Patterson, his departure came weeks after he requested a pay increase that would better align his compensation to those in neighboring districts. However, doubts about his authority lingered for months.
“Anytime I bring something to the board, I’ve vetted it,” Patterson told The Chronicle. “But any of these ideas, after minimal review, they get shot down. So that’s the problem that I was having.”
According to Patterson, he has retained an attorney as he considers filing civil rights litigation against the district alleging the district’s policies and procedures were not properly followed. Patterson also filed a report to the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
In the letter, Greene said a “prime example” of Patterson’s communication style was an April 17 email, which Greene called “inflammatory and unprofessional.”
That morning, Greene emailed Patterson and asked him to “identify a good, better and best type of recommendation list for the board” to staff Station 63, which is located at 736 Logan Hill Road and has been a point of consternation for years.
In April, the district received notice from the Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau (WSRB) that understaffing in the Logan Hill area would result in increased insurance rates, and Patterson said he began a search for a solution.
“I would assume one of the recommendations would be your proposal and the other two would be recommendations that would not involve a paid employee living at a station,” Greene wrote.
While Patterson offered to live in the station and staff it, among other proposals to add staffing in the area, the commissioners declined.
In response, Patterson emailed Greene, which Greene then forwarded to his fellow commissioners.
"I get the sense in our meetings that the Board has to always be the smartest people in the room. That is very discouraging,” Patterson wrote on April 17. “If you all feel that the direction that I have been moving toward is not positive, let's shake hands and I will be on my way. If you feel that things are moving positively, please, get out of my way and let me run my department."
After being rebuffed, Patterson sent the April 17 email, which he told The Chronicle was “probably the beginning of the end of me.”
In the letter to Patterson, Greene also cited the former chief’s employee review, which was signed and dated by both Patterson and Greene on June 4. In the review, Patterson received a “needs improvement” for the leadership, organizational management and personal character categories.
Under the leadership section, the evaluation states “Chief Patterson and the Board's communication and/or relationship needs to improve moving forward. We need to be professional and not intentionally try to start conflicts with all communications.”
Patterson failed to score higher than “satisfactory” in any of the five categories.
Following the evaluation, Patterson said he “worked very hard” to try and meet the board’s expectations. As the calendar flipped to August, Patterson felt he and the board had a professional relationship, though Greene disagreed.
“I was not satisfied that you had sufficiently improved upon these areas for me to feel comfortable confirming your probationary employment into regular employment,” Greene wrote.
Under Patterson's contract with the district, the first 12 months of his employment were classified as a “probationary period,” which was meant to allow “both parties to determine whether the chief is an appropriate fit for the position.”
“During the probationary period, the Board shall evaluate the Chief's performance from time to time in such a manner as it determines appropriate,” the contract states.
According to the contract, if Patterson were to be terminated during this period, he would not be “entitled to receive any severance payment if terminated during said probationary period.”
The contract also stated that Patterson was an “at will” employee, which meant “either the employer or the chief may terminate their employment relationship at any time, with or without cause, for any reason or for no reason at all, without prior notice.”
According to Patterson, had he completed a year of service, the district would have been obligated to provide a $30,000 severance package and, had he been terminated, Patterson would have also been eligible for unemployment benefits.
“We appreciate that you have questions about former Chief Patterson and his employment with the district. On August 22, the board accepted a written resignation from former Chief Patterson,” Greene said while reading from prepared remarks during an Aug. 27 board meeting. “On behalf of the board of commissioners, and Lewis County Fire District 6, we wish to thank former chief Patterson for his service to the district and the residents he served. I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
