Augusta released the fire chief finalists. Get to know the other candidates

May 11—The candidate most favored by Augusta commissioners to be fire chief scored second-lowest on an evaluation matrix while a former Augusta deputy chief scored the highest, documents obtained Monday by The Augusta Chronicle revealed.

The city's refusal to release information about anyone besides top pick Antonio Burden forced the newspaper and three other media outlets to file suit under Georgia's Open Records Act to obtain the documents. Superior Court Judge Jesse Stone readily agreed the public had the right to know.

Release of the documents shed little light on why Augusta officials chose and fought to withhold them, but highlight the accomplishments of three seasoned chiefs, all African-American men, who were not selected.

Commissioner John Clarke, who has been critical of the process, said his colleagues continue to argue they are correct in keeping the applicant identities out of the public eye, while he's not hearing that from the general public. Clarke and Commissioner Catherine Smith McKnight are the only members of the 10-member commission to have spoken out about problems with the process.

"It's the commission and those involved (in the search) that are up in arms about how this has gone," Clarke said. "The citizens that I have talked to have said, 'what are they trying to hide?' "

The city used a search firm, GovHR USA, to conduct the search and vet the candidates. Stone's Monday ruling against the city reaffirmed the search firm and city staff had culled the top four for interviews. The city has paid GovHR $8,108 so far for the search.

Burden, currently a deputy chief for DeKalb County Fire-Rescue, oversees a division that includes the DeKalb fire marshal's office, human resources and finance. Like two other finalists, he has a military background and served four years as an active duty Marine. He scored a 10 of 20 points in the city's scoring matrix, losing points for only having a bachelor's degree and lacking fire officer certifications.

Former Augusta Deputy Chief Sterling P. Jones scored the most points, 17, in the matrix and is one of two finalists with a master's degree, according to documents the city released.

Jones has been with the South Fulton Fire and Rescue Department since early 2020 and currently serves as deputy chief of community risk reduction. According to his resume, Jones has a master's degree in public administration from Columbus State University and a bachelor's degree in fire and safety engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Jones' first 24 years as a firefighter were connected to his career in the Air Force, including as a reserve chief at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, an assistant fire chief at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., and as a fire protection specialist for Royal Air Force Bentwaters in the United Kingdom and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, according to his application.

While at Dobbins, Jones began work with the City of Atlanta Fire Department, where he retired in 2011 as battalion chief at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. In 2011 and 2012 he worked for DynCorp in Afghanistan and Raytheon at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. In 2012, Jones began work as a deputy Augusta fire chief in Augusta, also serving as interim 911 director from 2016 to 2017 and as fire marshal for two months of 2017 before leaving to serve as Riverdale, Ga., fire chief for three years.

According to his application, Anthony L. Jackson has been Newport News, Va., Fire Department assistant fire chief for support services since 2019. Prior to that he worked 34 years with the Fairfax County, Va., Fire and Rescue Department, retiring as a battalion chief.

Jackson scored an "8" on the matrix, making him ineligible for an interview, but interviewed April 15 with the commission anyway. Jackson lost points for having fewer years of experience as a chief and, like Burden, for lacking fire officer certifications. Jackson has an associate of arts degree in fire science from Columbia Southern University in Orange Beach, Ala., and has leadership certifications from the George Washington University Center for Excellence in Public Leadership and West Point Leadership Development, according to his resume.

Jackson's resume said he directs the Newport News strategic planning program and Insurance Services Office program. ISO is experience he could bring to Augusta, which currently has the top ISO rating, used to set property insurance rates, of a "1".

Finalist Carl W. Randolph Sr. scored a 12 of 20 on the matrix, which required a 14 to guarantee an interview. He lost points for not holding the fire officer certifications. According to his application, he has a master of science in organizational leadership and bachelor of arts in public safety administration, both from Holy Family University in Philadelphia.

Randolph has been with the Philadelphia Fire Department since 1994 and is presently a deputy chief, serving as division leader of the department's special operations command, over incident management at a COVID-19 care center and as chief fire marshal during high-profile fire investigations, according to his application. He previously served as a battalion chief during the 2015 Amtrak derailment, a papal visit and other major events and as a deputy director at Philadelphia Fire Academy, his resume said.

Since 2007 Randolph has served on the Pennsylvania Task Force One, a FEMA urban search and rescue force. From 1989 to 1993 he was an active duty Navy machinist mate and from 1994 to 1997 he was a naval reservist, according to his resume.

___

(c)2021 The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.)

Visit The Augusta Chronicle (Augusta, Ga.) at chronicle.augusta.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.