In March, the mayor's office said they had culled fire director applicants down to 17 people and would start conducting interviews, and hoped to have a candidate before City Council in 45 days.
TRENTON - When Mayor Eric Jackson took office last summer, he put Fire Director Qareeb Bashir's position in acting status as he started picking his cabinet and later put the word out that he was accepting resumes for the job.
In March, the mayor's office said they had culled fire director applicants down to 17 people and would start conducting interviews, and hoped to have a candidate before City Council in 45 days.
In May, Ernie Parrey Jr. was named permanent police director, and last week Jackson named a new inspections director, who will be acting until advice and consent by the City Council.
Bashir remains the lone, uncommitted cabinet position.
"Director Bashir is a man of strong character whose professional evolution from firefighter to fire director has been compelling over his 32-year career," Jackson said in a statement.
"Part of my job is to build upon an organization's strengths, which, in this case, includes the dedication of brave men and women in a variety of leadership roles," the statement continued. "By fostering stronger relationships and better teamwork, we can build a more cohesive and effective fire department that continues to serve the city at the highest level."
Jackson declined to further discuss Bashir's status in his administration, or the 17 candidates his leadership committee was looking at.
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Bashir could not be reached for comment for this story.
He was appointed fire director in 2011 by former Mayor Tony Mack, after retiring from the fire department in 2009 after over 25 years of service.
Bashir earns $105,384 annually as a city director, and collects about $94,000 annually in pension payments.
The fire department, and the city, has been under state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) oversight while Bashir has been director, and it's been bumpy at times.
Right off the bat, in 2011, the city was found to have violated the terms of a $27.1 million transitional aid grant from the DCA by putting Bashir on the payroll before the agency signed off on his hiring.
The fire department has had to fight for federal grants three times since 2010 to save about 50 to 60 firefighting positions each time.
The latest award, $14,076,912 from the SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) program, saved 61 firefighting jobs.
Bashir was fired by George Muschal in April 2014, when the city councilman temporarily served as the city's mayor, and was locked out of fire headquarters by his temporary replacement.
Bashir was eventually reinstated to his position by a judge.
Muschal has been a harsh critic of Bashir, and the acting mayor's firing of Bashir also led to the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office investigating Bashir, with detectives seizing a computer from fire headquarters.
On Thursday, prosecutor's spokeswoman Casey DeBlasio said that probe was closed. "Our investigation failed to reveal evidence consistent with criminal activity." She declined to elaborate.
When Bashir he was a fire battalion chief, Bashir came under fire from fellow firefighters in 2006, and later a state report, for his actions at a house fire in which three firefighters were nearly killed and had to be rescued from a basement.
And this past July, a female fire department employee filed an official complaint against Bashir, alleging several years of discriminatory behavior, including sexual harassment.
Trenton firefighters union president Wayne Wolk said the real issue over the position of fire director, though, is the future.
Wolk said whether it's Bashir or a new person, it's how that person will lead the department out of having to hold their breath every two years to see if federal grant money comes through.
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"Whether it's Bashir or the next guy, the firefighters feel we're not moving in the direction we need to be moving in, " Wolk said.
Wolk took no position on Bashir personally. "It's the mayor's prerogative to do what he wants," he said.
"The firefighters are looking for leadership. You can't sit back and do the same thing for six years and not adapt, branch out," Wolk said of the SAFER grants.
Wolk said he's met with Jackson about the department's future and whoever leads it needs to be part of a long-term plan for sustainability, so the department can run itself and not have to wait for DCA to bless everything.
"I shouldn't have to as the head of the union deal with this every two years," Wolk said. " I am not going to rely on a grant every two years. What are you going to do when it runs out?" he asked.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
