Alameda fire chief gases up his vehicles on city's dime

[Liberal_in_LA]

Alameda fire chief gases up his vehicles on city's dime
Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross



Alameda Fire Chief David Kapler is spotted filling up his sports car at the city gas pump next to Fire Department headquarters.

Budget cuts in Alameda have shuttered a fire station and resulted in the layoffs of firefighters, but the town's $195,702-a-year fire chief is getting unlimited free fill-ups for both his BMW convertible sports car and his Honda pickup truck at the city pump.

Disgruntled firefighters caught Fire Chief David Kapler on camera over the weekend taking advantage of the perk and forwarded the photos to Mayor Beverly Johnson - who promptly called the vacationing city manager for an explanation.

"In my opinion, it was a very inappropriate thing to do," the mayor said of Kapler's habit of filling his cars with gratis gasoline.

Kapler, however, says it's no secret that he regularly gases up his personal cars at the city pump. He says the free gas is part of the deal he cut with then-City Manager Debra Kurita when he signed on as chief in 2007.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/18/BASK1EVC85.DTL#ixzz0wzUbDCfP

[whistler162]

1. Could at least bought a fire engine red car......

as away to claim he uses it to get to fire's after hours!

[Lance_Boyle]

2. 'part of the deal'

Let's see it in writing, asscrack. Show us that clause in the contract. Otherwise I'd expect this guy to be an EX-$195,702/yr fire chief real soon. And then I'd hope the city bills him for the gas he stole.

[arbusto_baboso]

3. This shit is SOP for muni employees in management positions.

The sad part of this all is that is paints all government employees with the same brush as being lazy and corrupt. Meanwhile, when the public clamors for government to "cut fat", the line-level employees who actually work and make a difference to the public are the ones who lose their jobs. Oh, and unions somehow get blamed, too, when managers aren't usually represented by a union.

It's complete shit.

[mike r]

4. Fire his lying ass, and charge him with theft

or the other way around.