Houston firefighters, mayor tangle over perceived snubs

Samuel Pena speaks after the announcement that he will be the new chief of the Houston Fire Department during a press conference at City Hall Thursday afternoon, Nov. 17, 2016 in Houston. ( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) less Samuel Pena speaks after the announcement that he will be the new chief of the Houston Fire Department during a press conference at City Hall Thursday afternoon, Nov. 17, 2016 in Houston. ( Mark Mulligan / ... more Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston firefighters, mayor tangle over perceived snubs 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Simmering tensions and acrimony between Houston firefighters and Mayor Sylvester Turner have boiled over after the mayor erupted at firefighters who spurned him at two recent public events.

The most recent incident, which took place at a Houston Rockets game Thursday, prompted the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341 to send Turner a letter warning him not to threaten the association's membership.

"Twice in the past week, you threatened firefighters that declined to engage with you in public settings," HPFFA President Marty Lancton wrote in a Friday letter sent to Turner and city councilmembers. "We believe these confrontations violate state law. If they occur again, we will take appropriate action."

When asked about the incident, Turner said the firefighters had engaged in unprofessional and inappropriate behavior.

"If I'm going down and I'm shaking everybody's hand, I'm shaking the firefighters' hands, and then I get to this firefighter and this firefighter refuses to shake my hand, number one it's not professional," he said. "Do I ignore that? I think not. ... What the president of the association is saying is that there should be no discipline taken against any firefighter that chooses not to engage with their mayor. Well, if you're in uniform, on duty, whether it's in a second job at a civic engagement, there is a code of conduct and you should adhere to it if you want to be a city employee."

"You can't tolerate that. And the association shouldn't tolerate it either," Turner said. "Because once you allow that to happen, you have lost total control of your force. And again 99% of employees are fine, but for those who choose to operate on that level, they should not be a part of the city of Houston employee base."

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña declined to discuss what actions had been taken in the two incidents, because they were personnel matters.

The tensions come amid a worsening relationship between firefighters – who campaigned extensively for Turner before his election in 2015 – and the mayor, particularly over recent moves to rein in looming pension obligations and what they see as the city's failure to bargain in good faith during contract negotiations.

"Firefighters deserve a good contract and a raise," said Gaylon Davenport, president of the Houston Black Firefighters Association. "They do a good job and everyone knows that. They deserve a raise and it hasn't happened and because of that it's toxic."

Davenport added, "If a man or woman does not want to speak or shake your hand, they have the right to do that, period. I don't think in the job description it says you have to shake someone's hand. I've never seen that."

Lancton said a fire inspector had been working at the Rockets game Thursday, which Turner was attending. The firefighter – who has been with the department for 15 years – saw the mayor approaching and tried to walk away.

"You don't walk away from me," he said Turner yelled, threatening to make sure he wouldn't be able to work security at the stadium in the future, and making him give his identification details to several cops working on his security detail.

"It's absolutely inappropriate from anyone in power to intimidate and aggress someone -- a classified member of the fire department -- when they're trying to diffuse a situation," Lancton said. "There are clear guidelines and laws, if someone felt someone was behaving inappropriately. There are ways to handle that situation."

Just days before, another firefighter had gotten crosswise with Turner at a National Night Out event in Gulfton, Lancton said.

After Turner spoke, he tried to speak to some firefighters also participating in the event, one of whom declined to shake his hand.

Turner apparently told the firefighter, "I'm still your boss," and stormed off, Lancton said.

Lancton said firefighters were tired of having benefits taken away by City Hall and then used for political purposes.

"If someone lies, and then wants to use you for PR, which [scenario] is really disrespectful?" he asked.

Councilmember Brenda Stardig, who chairs the council's public safety committee, sought more details about the incidents from Lancton Tuesday morning.

"To me, I assume that we're looking for mutual respect," she said. "Since I wasn't there, it's hard to respond, but I'd expect mutual respect."

Councilmember Michael Kubosh said he understood why firefighters might feel frustrated with Turner given their previous support for the mayor when he was running for office.

"I can see how they maybe feel jilted, but it's government," he said. "The mayor has got to do what's best for the overall city and the taxpayer, not any individual group."

While Turner could be tough on council, Kubosh said he had a hard time imagining him mistreating everyday employees.

"I can't imagine him acting that way, I've never observed him [that way]," he said. "At the council table, he can be rough on us, but we're elected officials. But I've never seen him act that way with any employees. ... I would have to see it to believe it."