A committee formed to review a list of internal candidates for the Jefferson City fire chief's position unanimously recommended Capt. Matt Schofield on Friday.
By a 7-0 vote, the panel recommended City Administrator Steve Crowell ask the mayor and City Council to name Schofield the new fire chief.
Schofield was chosen over two other internal candidates - interim Chief Jason Turner and Capt. Jay Niemeyer.
Schofield has been with the Jefferson City department for 15 years, as well as serving on Missouri Task Force 1, the urban search and rescue unit based in Boone County.
The committee was created at the request of the city administrator as a way to give him input from the public as well as from fire department employees and union leadership.
On Thursday, the three candidates appeared at two public forums - one with firefighters and the other with residents in the audience. There were also rating forms for forum attendees to fill out; the selection committee looked at those at its Friday meeting.
"I've walked in your shoes," Schofield said at the firefighters forum. "We can reach solutions based on common experience."
When asked how he would address low morale in the department, Schofield said, "There's no quick fix. You have to trust the command staff. Know that we have your best interests at heart. No amount of money will make a difference in that."
Turner, who has been with the department for 17 years, has been interim chief since Chief Bob Rennick retired in March 2013 after 33 years of service.
Chairman of the search committee and former city councilman Dan Klindt said, "I want to thank the members of recommendation committee for giving their time to this process. The city administrator asked us to assist him in the evaluation of our internal candidates. We reviewed resumes, had skill tests, held forums and interviewed the three top candidates; all three were strong candidates.
"Based on these factors, the committee chose to recommend Matt Schofield to Mr. Crowell. We know this is only one part of the process. Mr. Crowell will no doubt have additional criteria to consider. I am confident he will make the right decision for the city, which we will support regardless of whether he agrees with our recommendation. Again the committee appreciated the opportunity to serve and stands ready to assist further if needed."
Crowell said: "I thank the committee for their hard work on this project. I will give their recommendation strong consideration as I now move forward with my own process of evaluation. My process may take several months after which I will make my recommendation to the City Council. I have not yet made any decision. Out of respect for each other and the process, I have asked the candidates not to comment publicly until the City Council makes a final decision."
The City Charter states that the city administrator makes his recommendation for fire chief to the mayor and City Council for approval or disapproval.
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