March 7, 2016

Hon. Steven Noble

Mayor, City of Kingston
City Hall
Kingston, New York 12401
Dear Mayor Noble:
It has been my pleasure to serve on the Kingston Fire Commission for the past few
years.
Working with gentlemen like Chief Brown, Deputy Chief Gleason, John Dwyer, Robert
Gillon, Stanley Chandler, former Mayor Gallo, and yourself to help set policies, make
decisions on hiring, and so forth for the Kingston Fire Department has been a privilege I
will always remember.
The Common Council and yourself have settled the litigation over former Mayor Gallos
firing of Christopher Rea and chosen to rehire him to the Kingston Fire Department.
This is one of the biggest decisions concerning the Kingston Fire Department in the last
decade. Yet, this matter was never even presented for discussion or consideration by
the Fire Commission.
During the entire litigation, former Mayor Gallo always updated the Fire Commission
during Executive Session. As such, the Commission members were well informed and
well versed concerning the specifics of the evidence and actual facts of the case. I
have not and will not discuss these details in public, as I respect the sanctity of the rules
of Executive Session.
Moreover, in light of your comments in January about being required to have the
consent of the Police Commission on personnel matters, it seemed only natural that
such an important personnel matter of the Fire Department would have been presented
to the Fire Commission.
Let me be clear. I recognize that you are the duly elected Mayor of the City of Kingston
and are not obligated to present any personnel decisions before the Fire Commission. I
further acknowledge that you were open and clear of your intention to rehire Mr. Rea
with the voters during the election. The majority vote by the electorate in your favor
may certainly support a contention that the majority of the voters approve settling the
case and rehiring Mr. Rea.
However, knowing the evidence and the facts of the case in detail, I cannot as a matter
of personal conscience remain on the Fire Commission, especially since a matter of
such magnitude was never even presented for discussion.

Therefore, in light of same, and to allow you the opportunity to appoint someone whose
opinions are more in line with the intentions and plans of your administration, I am
respectfully submitting my resignation as Fire Commissioner. This resignation is
effective immediately.
I wish you nothing but success in your tenure as Mayor. If you succeed, then by
definition the city succeeds as well. That is a goal we should all embrace.
Very Truly Yours,
Richard T. Cahill Jr.