Democracy Dies in Darkness

Montgomery County executive withdraws support for fire chief nominee

Marc Elrich, the county executive, said Charles Bailey’s confirmation by the county council seemed unlikely

March 5, 2024 at 8:02 p.m. EST

Charles Bailey is a 30-plus-year veteran of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. (Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

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Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich withdrew his support Tuesday for Charles Bailey to be the county’s next fire chief.

Bailey, a 30-plus-year veteran of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, would have been the county’s first Black fire chief. Elrich nominated him in November, but Bailey had yet to be confirmed by the 11-member Montgomery County Council.

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“Following consultation with members of the County Council, a pathway forward … was not deemed feasible,” an Elrich spokesman said in a statement.

Elrich (D) did not provide any details on why there was no path forward.

The county executive “appreciates Division Chief Bailey’s decades of service to the residents of Montgomery County and continued commitment” to the Fire and Rescue Service, according to Elrich spokesman Scott Peterson.

Bailey heads the service’s operations division. He declined to immediately comment on Elrich’s announcement.

The county executive is evaluating alternative candidates, said Peterson, and will name a new nominee at some point.

Bailey’s nomination was opposed by Montgomery County’s career firefighters union. They said in a statement earlier that they would be “working with the County Council during its confirmation process to make sure they have all of the information to make an informed decision.”