New London - Mayor Daryl Justin Finizio said in an emailed statement Wednesday that he supports state Rep. Ernest Hewett's call for an investigation into the state fire academy.
Hewett, a Democrat representing New London, responded Wednesday by saying the fire academy should be reviewed but that city officials are ultimately responsible for their own hiring and firing practices.
Finizio's announcement comes one day after an NAACP town hall meeting that included a number of firefighters and recruits who recounted difficult experiences at the academy, including perceived racism. One of those men, Alfred Mayo, was fired by Finizio just days before he was scheduled to graduate with his class in December.
Mayo was the first black firefighter hired by the New London Fire Department since 1978.
"When local municipalities make decisions on the retention of fire department recruits, we must rely on information provided to us by the Fire Academy," Finizio said in his statement. "In the decision reached by the administration not to retain recruit Alfred Mayo, the City of New London relie(d) heavily on data provided by the Fire Academy. At last night's NAACP forum, I was disturbed to hear numerous former Academy recruits explain irregularities at the Academy."
On Wednesday, Hewett said he spoke briefly with Reuben F. Bradford, the commissioner of the state Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, which oversees the fire academy.
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