news-record.com

GREENSBORO — Fire Chief Johnny Teeters will step down as chief at the end of May, not in December as he had planned.

Right time to retire? Join the discussion at the Debatables blog.

His decision follows reports of poor morale in the department and other allegations aired in the months since Teeters' original retirement announcement.

Teeters said Tuesday, however, that those issues did not play a role in his decision and that he was not asked to retire earlier.

City Manager Mitch Johnson said he has talked with Teeters about his plans. Johnson said he supported Teeters as chief but said that an extended time before an outgoing employee leaves can be an issue.

Teeters, who has led the department since 1999, announced in January that he planned to retire at the end of the year.

"Sometimes that works out, and sometimes it's tough to be in that ... role when everybody knows you're going to be leaving," Johnson said.

Some council members expressed similar sentiments about outgoing employees.

"It's just easier to move on without them," Sandra Anderson Groat said. "That really is a long time."

The decision seems right for Teeters as well, she said.

"I would much rather be retired in the summer," Groat said.

Teeters acknowledged he was in a lame-duck situation with the original retirement date months off.

"A fire department is a constantly evolving mechanism," he said. "If I can't be productive ... then you always need to move aside."

In recent months, issues involving the department have bubbled up.

An internal review found concerns about morale and management issues, and complaints arose about nepotism.

Teeters also acknowledged this year that he had hired firefighters to work on two houses he owns. Some of the firefighters were later promoted, although Teeters denied that was a form of payback.

Teeters said those issues did not have a significant effect on his decision to retire early.

"You're going to get those ups and downs once in a while," he said. "You're going to get these peaks and valleys. I guess this was starting to be a valley."

Johnson said the new retirement date would speed the hiring of a new chief, although an acting chief almost certainly will be named until a permanent hire is made.

Councilwoman Mary Rakestraw said Teeters' decision is the right one because it will expedite the process.

"That will help move things forward to get a new chief," she said.

Teeters said he has not been asked about playing an advisory role in the hiring process. He said that there were excellent candidates within the department but that the search should go beyond the department as well.

Teeters said after his retirement he plans to spend time at his lake house and with his grandchildren and consider other opportunities.

Contact Jason Hardin at 373-7021 or jason.hardin@news-record.com