By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor
When I started as managing editor of The Apopka Voice in 2015, I joked with then-publisher Dale Fenwick that out-of-town journalists were like Vikings. They only showed up in Apopka when there was bad news, and after journalistically plundering us, they left.
And although I was joking, it has proven to be, for the most part, accurate - especially as it applies to local television stations. If there is an arrest, shooting, medical marijuana debate, red light camera vote, or a flooding neighborhood, the Viking Journalists are here today and gone tomorrow.
It's one of the reasons I think local independent newspapers and news sites are important to a city like Apopka. We are here for all the news of Apopka - good and bad.
However, with the turmoil brewing in Apopka right now, the Vikings aren't leaving. In fact, they are pitching their tents, taking up residence, and camping out for the long haul.
It started in December with the resignations of two firefighters from the Apopka Fire Department Safety Committee. AFD Lieutenant Alex Klepper, after learning the committee's after-incident critique of the accident that killed Firefighter Austin Duran, was being terminated, wrote a resignation letter detailing his reasons for leaving. A second firefighter, Pablo Echevarria, followed suit just a few days later, citing similar reasons to Klepper.
Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson held a press conference shortly after the second resignation, and by most accounts, it didn't go well. Nelson criticized the two firefighters for resigning and misquoted their reasons, despite having access to their complete resignation letters.
Local television stations attended the press conference and the City Council meeting a couple of hours later. They were treated to a barrage of critical comments by several Apopka residents and Austin's father, Michael Duran, along with a critical discussion from city commissioners aimed at Nelson and Apopka Fire Chief Sean Wylam.
Commissioner Nick Nesta went even further than critical discussion.
"I'm tired of being embarrassed as a City from what we're dealing with... the issues we're dealing with at the press conference today," Nesta said at the December 21st City Council meeting. "And the fact that we're getting this after the press did is embarrassing. I feel that how you [Nelson] talked about Austin Duran during that press conference was disgusting. And the fact is... to kind of piggyback on Commissioner [Kyle] Becker, the fact that we're putting money, any sum of money, above lives, it blows my mind. We are here as a Council, as a committee, and as a City to promote the health and safety of our people, staff, residents, and visitors. To be putting lawsuit litigation, pending litigation, above an investigation that could save anybody, anything at any time, anywhere in the future... it's disgusting. It makes me sick to be up here. It's embarrassing to be called a commissioner when we have to represent that we can't do an investigation into this because there's pending litigation. It's disgusting. And that's all I can say about it. This can't continue. As a board, as a commission, as a Council. This needs to change. We have to figure out how to move on from this and actually lead and not just be reactive to what's going on."
It was a bad day for Apopka.
The press conference and subsequent City Council meeting went so badly that The Orlando Sentinel wrote an editorial calling for Nelson to apologize and restart the Safety Committee.
Not taking the Sentinel's advice, Nelson and AFD Chief Sean Wylam slid all of their chips into the pot - calling all-in on the Gannon report. Surely a group that they paid $20,000 to analyze its operations would return a favorable verdict.
Only they didn't.
The 45-page report described the AFD as having foundational deficiencies, years of neglected safety and health programs, and an incomplete and overloaded organizational structure.
But once again, instead of accepting the report as a critique, the fire department and city administration chose to attack it with 145 edits inside the draft report from Gannon. Nelson addressed the report but also told the Council he did not read it in its entirety despite having access to it for 2-3 weeks.
"Although I haven't read the whole report, I spent probably four hours with the Chief going over it line by line," said Nelson. "There are a lot of things in the Gannon report... they didn't know that there were protocols on the internet that firefighters have to check off, to be able to qualify, that they've done certain training, and so I'd rather go through it one time and do it right than speed read it and not get all the facts. So, in the next couple of days, we'll get through the whole report in the next couple of days, and we'll have recommendations and what we need to change. But it's interesting if we want to talk about Gannon, and I'll say this... it's interesting that he's willing to help us with this first agreement for $20,000... but now he wants to help us for $150,000 per year for three years. That's what he thinks we need. Sounds out of line, but that's what he thinks we should be spending."
Out-of-town media was swift in attacking the administration and the fire department in multiple articles written by the Sentinel and other television stations in the area.
In politics, an often-used tactic is to attack your opponent or any detractors to your campaign right up until election day. But election day is over. And when your detractors are local media, social media, out-of-town media, residents, the father of a fallen firefighter, your own City Council, and an independent fire department analyst you paid to critique your department, it might be time to set aside the attack dogs and take a good hard look at this issue and the fire department.
For once, it looks like the Vikings were right.
Yes, Mayor Nelson, some detractors would disagree with your governing style no matter what you did. Every leader has experienced it. But this administration has crossed into an area almost uncharted.
About a month ago, I asked you to listen to the people and act.
"Leading a city is a difficult job. Leaders will no doubt hear criticism from political rivals and those that don't agree with their ideology, but when this many people are saying the same thing, week after week, it may be time to do more than ignore them, attack them, or stay silent and move on to a safer subject.
It's time to take action, Mayor Nelson. Allow the safety committee to perform the post-incident critique of the June 30th accident and dialogue with these firefighters and family members that continue to speak out during public comments. It's the only way this fire department will ever come together and this city will ever heal."
I said that a month ago, and now the drumbeat is louder and larger. I am not a member of the city council or the administration or the city staff. I'm not a political operative. You and I disagree ideologically on many things. But this is not about ideology and politics. It's about performance, action, and leadership.
You must lead the city, Mayor Nelson. You must explain your side of issues as they present themself at meetings. You must speak up. You have to be prepared for issues like the Gannon report. It's not enough to allow department heads or members of your staff to lead out on critical issues.
Apopka elected you twice to lead this city - so lead.
