OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City Council plans to appoint Stephen Jellie as city manager, but not without some protest from the public.

Jellie has been serving as interim city manager for the past few months and has also been serving as the acting fire chief.

Although the city interviewed one other candidate for the interim city manager position, the job was not advertised.

Jellie's appointment, which is set to go before the city council tonight prompted action from the firefighter's union and a call for a formal protest from resident Mark Green.

"We are asking anybody that believes strongly that the majority of the council appointing Stephen Jellie as the permanent is the wrong decision for our community to please consider showing up to city hall at 6:30 p.m. on Monday night leading up to the big council meeting. This is completely peaceful and it is just meant to show the council how the people truly feel about the decisions they are making. All we are asking people to do is show up in front of city hall on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. and we will stand out front with signs and other shows of support until the meeting begins at 7pm in order to show our support and let the council know how the public truly feels. We need as many people as possible, so please spread the word and tell everybody to consider coming. Please wear a mask and distance to the best of your ability. We look forward to seeing everybody Monday night," Green said in an email to North Country This Week.

In a press release, the Ogdensburg Fire Fighters Association, IAFF – Local 1799 said they will be joined by representatives from the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association (NYSPFFA) today for a press conference in front of City Hall.

Representatives from the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association (NYSPFFA), the organization representing 106 local affiliates of the International Fire Fighters Association (IAFF) traveled to St. Lawrence County today to support the 27 highly trained firefighters working at the Ogdensburg Fire Department (IAFF-Local 1799).

The union asserts the actions of Interim City Manager Stephen P. Jellie, and self-appointed fire chief, has repeatedly violated the fundamental rights of its rank-file firefighters; threatened punishment and retribution on those exercising their right of free speech including their ability to discuss the terms and conditions of employment; and exposed the community at-large to harm during a public health emergency.

“In the short span of 80-days, the City Manager, who has no experience running a municipality or leading a civilian fire department, has undermined the safety of a proud North Country community that has been protected by career fire fighters for more than 150 years,” said Sam Fresina, President of the New York State Professional Fire Fighters Association.

Prior to being named state president, Fresina, served for more than 20-years in one the nation’s busiest firehouses, and for four additional years as a member of the United States Air Force specially trained crash and rescue unit. He has negotiated contracts and represented his members during financially troubled times and moments of crisis.

“Around the country and the world, it is well known that the IAFF-will go Anywhere; Anytime to support their brothers and sisters in the fire service,” Fresina said. “It is simply baffling to think that a short-term interim city manager seeks to limit the most precious freedoms of the Constitution – by invoking a gag order on first responders who are serving during a public health crisis that has devastated communities, and closed schools, businesses and international borders.”

New York State’s Taylor Law specifically protects a union members’ right to express their point-of-view on their conditions of employment.

Mayor Jeffrey Skelly and Interim City Manager Jellie have openly discussed advancing a potential referendum to abolish the career fire service and replace it with a department staffed by volunteers.

“It is reckless and ill-informed to endorse the notion that the community abolish its long-term fire department and replace it with volunteers that do not exist, have not been recruited and have not received a single moment of training or instruction,” said Fresina. “It demonstrates a failure to grasp the enormity and urgency of responding to thousands of calls per year.”

Fresina continued, “I am aware of two recent incidents, one on Long Island, and a second in Westchester where actions such as these resulted in horrendous losses to the community. In the community of Garden City, a home was lost when response times exceeded 20 minutes. The prudent community standard is four minutes. In Port Chester, 20 people are homeless after a five-alarm fire destroyed a three-story apartment building in August.

Jason Bouchard, President of Local 1799: “This community believes in prudent public safety, not scorched earth politics. Keeping our families safe is what our neighbors are concerned about and when the alarm rings every firefighter is prepared to respond with the same urgency as if the call originated in their own home.”

In 2019, Ogdensburg firefighters responded to nearly 2,000 emergency calls. As of (September 24) St. Lawrence County has experienced 320 cases of COVID-19.

Ogdensburg Firefighters, IAFF- Local 1799 have filed an improper practice charge alleging violations of the Public Employees Fair Employment Act ranging from unlawful discrimination and retaliation, interference with the internal operations and administration of a union, and failure to negotiate.

The matter was filed September 17. The fire fighters are being represented in the matter by Syracuse-based attorney Nathaniel Lambright.