Impassioned pleas by North Catasauqua Fire Department volunteer firefighters and their supporters fell on deaf ears Tuesday, at a North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting convened to address a conflict between the fire department and the council.

At the council's reorganizational meeting last week, instead of rubber-stamping the fire company's vote to replace Fire Chief Francis Hadik with former Assistant Chief Erik Hirner, and to keep Assistant Chief Shawn McGinley in the number-two position, the council had instead voted to keep Hadik at the helm with Roger Scheirer as assistant chief.

That vote had set off a firestorm of angry protests and resignation announcements from firefighters attending the meeting and ended with Hadik accepting the position of chief until the dispute could be settled.

Hadik expressed shock Tuesday when the council did not rescind its vote to appoint him as chief Tuesday, as he had expected.

Instead, without comment, they rescinded their vote to appoint Roger Scheirer as assistant chief and appointed Chris Greb in his place.

"I thought we'd end this tonight," Hadik said. "I thought Shawn was going to be chief and Chris was going to be his assistant and I would stay as fire marshal."

Council President Joseph Keglovits asked Hadik if he was resigning.

"Yes, I want to be the fire marshal and be involved with EMA and that's it," Hadik said. "And I want to recommend Shawn. I don't know what's going on but we've worked well. He didn't walk out. I thought it was all resolved."

Instead, the council had replaced Scheirer with the appointment of Greb as assistant chief and left Hadik as chief.

The meeting began with an hour-long executive session during which the council debated what action to take.

Susan Hirner spoke at the outset of the public comment portion of the meeting.

"All of you should be ashamed of yourselves because you are making saving someone's life a political contest," she said.

Firefighter and former council member William McGinley also spoke during the public comment period.

"It's a very serious, dangerous profession," he said of firefighting. "The reason that they elect their own is because of the trust, the experience and the training that they have. It's not a popularity contest.

"[Hadik], for the last three years, was given the dignity to finish his year and he kept saying, every year, 'This is my last year.' By council recommending Francis Hadik to be fire chief, it makes it clear that you people have no clue what goes on downstairs [in the fire station]."

Third Street resident Billy Duch attended the meeting in support of the fire department.

"Did anyone of you on council step up and ask Francis if he wants to be chief?" he asked. "Why don't you just give these guys what they want?"

Following Hadik's resignation, Shawn McGinley spoke, indicating he was stunned by the lack of understanding from the council as to the dedication and commitment to community safety which has been displayed by himself and Erik Hirner, who had been passed over by the council for the appointment as fire chief.

"May I ask what the problem is with me?" he asked. "First it was Erik, now it's myself. What is the apprehension to put me in as chief? None of these guys were running fire calls [last week] until I stepped in and asked them to, and they did it for me. I showed up and I was a leader."

He expressed dismay that the council had once again ignored the wishes of the fire department concerning the appointment of chief and assistant chief.

"I think the decision about that should go based on the decision of our firefighters," he said. "Does anybody [on the council] know Chris Greb? How can you come back and say you want to put Chris Greb in as our acting chief when not one person here even knows who he is?"

Hadik spoke a second time in support of McGinley.

"I'm just asking council to give him a shot as fire chief and see how he does and put Chris Greb as assistant," he said. "I'm just asking you. I am here 43 years, I have seen what he did the last few days that kept our department together."

McGinley was not without support on the council.

Councilman Michael Seng nominated McGinley for the appointment as fire chief. In favor of the appointment were Keglovits and Councilman William Nothstein. Opposing votes were cast by Cherie Gebhardt, John Yanek and Michele Hazzard.

Gebhardt explained her concern about McGinley's behavior at the reorganizational meeting to The Press after Tuesday's meeting adjourned.

"When he walked in and he heard the vote on Hirner, he turned around and said, 'You all suck,' and he walked out the door. That's why," she said. "When they all walked out the door, this firefighter's code of ethics, they just broke. It doesn't matter that they came back an hour or two later and said they'd cover fire calls. Actions speak volumes to me."

Councilman Peter Paone attended the meeting over a telephone connection, but was told by Solicitor William McCarthy he was not qualified to vote.

The 3-3 tie was broken by Mayor William Molchany Jr. who opposed the appointment of McGinley.

"My answer is no," he said. "I will not have Shawn as the chief because of the way he acted last week."

"I feel that the code of ethics [for firefighters] was broken last week," Gebhardt said. "I am not willing to let anyone who was standing in this room last week be chief at this very moment."

Gebhardt was willing to make a motion to appoint McGinley as interim chief, however, and council voted in favor of that motion.

The vote prevented another firefighter walkout while making a clear statement to its leadership that the council holds the power to hire and fire and will not tolerate any behavior it deems to be disrespectful to elected officials.

"I am a principle-oriented person," Gebhardt said after the meeting.