Department vet Southwell named interim Longview fire chief
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007Sixteen-year Longview Fire Department veteran Kenny Southwell will become interim fire chief May 1, the day of Chief Richard Lazarus’ retirement, interim City Manager Chuck Ewings said.
Southwell is assistant chief. Lazarus announced his retirement in March after six years at the helm of the fire department.
“I’m going to have to learn what I need to do from the chief’s standpoint,” Southwell said Tuesday. “I’ve been shadowing him as well as I can — you know, he moves 162 miles per hour. But my main goal is to keep moving forward and keep things going.”
While Lazarus may move quickly at work, he said last month that his decision to retire was because he wanted to slow down and spend time with his grandchildren and perhaps pursue other options in the fall.
“I would not leave if I did not think the department was on an upward path,” Lazarus said. “There are a lot of good things happening right now. The department has good personnel, and I feel so good that the fire department has a great future here in Longview.”
When asked how he plans to make a smooth transition from his central quarters to the chief’s larger corner office at Central Fire Station on Cotton Street, Southwell laughed and said he had not given it any thought.
“I’ve been thinking more about just keeping things going with our strategic plan,” he said. “And we are also entering the budget process, which is a busy time for us.”
Each city department is charged with assembling a strategic plan, which includes goals and strategies for improvement, Ewings said.
Ewings said last month that he would interview candidates from within the department to fill the interim role, adding that a permanent replacement for Lazarus would be named once a new city manager is in place.
“Kenny has been working closely with Chief Lazarus, and he’s very familiar with the fire department,” Ewings said. “We’re confident in his abilities to lead during this time of transition.”
By ADAM J. HOLLAND
July 16th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
He’s right about one thing, the department did take an upward path the minute he walked out the door.