THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510110649
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NAGS HEAD LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
For the past six months, Nags Head Fire Chief Timothy Michael Morrison has been holding down two full-time jobs.
He has led this beach town's staff of nine paid firefighters since April 24, drawing a $43,000 annual salary.
And he is still on the rolls as a full-time captain with the 1,100-person Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department, where he earns $59,783 per year.
Nags Head officials said they knew Morrison was going to continue working at his Northern Virginia job until December, when he will become eligible for retirement after 20 years of service.
But Fairfax officials said they thought the Nags Head job was a part-time position. When they learned last week that Morrison was serving full-time with the Outer Banks department, they put him on administrative leave. A spokesman for the Virginia department said the Fairfax fire chief will make a decision about whether to fire Morrison by Friday.
``We were aware that Mr. Morrison was going to become Nags Head's fire chief. But we looked at that position as strictly a part-time endeavor,'' Fairfax County Assistant Fire Chief Mark Wheatley said in a telephone interview Tuesday. ``It has become apparent that his commitment in North Carolina is to a full-time fire chief position. And that can't go on. He was proposed for termination last week because he has not met the original agreement that we had with him.
``You can't hold down two full-time jobs in a fire department.''
According to Nags Head Town Manager Webb Fuller, Morrison was working weekends and on his off-time in Fairfax until he became eligible for retirement.
``We knew he had a certain commitment to be fulfilled in Fairfax to get his retirement,'' Fuller said Tuesday. ``He was to be here in emergencies. And he's putting in mostly more than 50-hour weeks here anyway.
``The board is aware of his status,'' said Fuller. ``Everybody would like for the tie with Northern Virginia to be cut permanently. But in order for us to get the best person we could hire, we had to put up with this for a short period of time.''
Morrison did not return phone messages Tuesday.
Candidates for Nags Head's Board of Commissioners discussed the fire chief during a Monday night elections forum.
``I disagree with the double-dipping fire chief,'' said Chuck Thompson, one of five candidates vying for two spots on the five-member town board. ``The man's making more than $100,000 a year now. I was told he was supposed to retire from Virginia in April. I don't like the idea of what's happening here. I don't see how the man can fulfill both full-time jobs.'' Board candidate Doug Remaley, who is the county's fire marshal, disagreed. ``This town did an excellent job of finding a new fire chief,'' said Remaley, who was Nags Head's fire chief for 10 years before accepting a job with the county.
``When the town hired him, they knew he had until December to fulfill obligations with his Fairfax job. He's doing both. And let me tell you, second to me, he's good.''
Commissioner Harry Thompson, who was appointed to the town board 20 months ago to fulfill an unexpired seat and is seeking election to that four-year post in November, said he ``fully supports'' Morrison serving out his dual duties through December.
``I think we're lucky to have him,'' Harry Thompson said of the town's fire chief. ``They'll probably let him go up there because of all the publicity. And that's unfortunate for Mr. Morrison.'' by CNB