Dear Fire Officer,

It is with very mixed emotions that I write this letter.  I have been offered a position with the International Association of Firefighters as Chief of Staff to General President Harold Schaitberger.  The present Chief of Staff, Michael Crouse, will be leaving his position on April 30th.

Today, I formally notified President Schaitberger that I will accept the position effective June 1st.  I will resign my office as President of the UFOA effective June 1, 2007.  Although I could serve out the remaining 3 months of my tenure as Captains’ Representative by taking vacation and accrued leave, I believe the membership deserves to be served by a full Executive Board.

It has truly been an honor to serve you as UFOA President and I am extremely grateful for the trust you have given me these past nine years.  Everything this union has accomplished during my tenure was possible only with the support and hard work of our Executive Board, our Delegates and especially because of you, the membership.

I will continue as President for the next 6 weeks ensuring a smooth transition and I want to assure the membership that the business of this union will continue uninterrupted.

There are many more thank yous that I must say before my departure, but I wanted to get this letter to the membership ASAP.  My term of office is scheduled to end on August 31, 2007.  I want every Captain to know that a vacancy will exist in the Captain’s Rank.  Nominations for Captains’ Representative (as well as Lieutenants’ and Chiefs’ positions) will open at the May General Membership Meeting on May 10th.  Nominations will close on June 14th at the General Membership Meeting.  Ballots will be mailed on June 15th and will be counted on June 29th.

I want to once again thank you for the privilege of representing you.