The letter points to inappropriate conduct from a female firefighter and the chief’s unwillingness to terminate the employee — a charge the anonymous authors of the letter hint may be evidence of an inappropriate relationship.
Speaking in an interview Thursday, the chief denied the insinuation that he is doing anything inappropriate, but said that state personnel privacy protections prevent him from discussing anything about his employees.
“It’s really an indefensible position because we are bound by law to protect the privacy of our employees while ensuring our duty and responsibility to the public,” he said. “But I can say unequivocally, that there is nothing in that letter that is accurate about me or this office.”
Addressed to City Manager Alfred Lott, the letter’s authors, who claim to be a group of concerned firefighters, are critical of Carswell and a female firefighter they say gets special treatment on what they contend are repeated violations of department policies.
According to the letter, the authors believe that this firefighter is setting the city and chief up for a lawsuit similar to one they say she filed and won against another southwest Georgia county.
Carswell insists that he tries to be fair with all of his employees, saying that anonymous grievance letters are a time-honored trend within the department.
“The fact of the matter is, you can go back several chiefs ago and find where our employees were doing the same thing, so it’s really nothing new,” he said. “We just have factions within the department that don’t care for me and who hear the gossip without the facts.”
The letter also criticizes Carswell’s personal life and the message that his personal decisions are sending out to others in the department.
“The personal attacks hurt. I’m only human,” he said. “But you expect criticism when you’re a public figure, so that comes with the territory.”
Carswell said that if the authors of the letter had legitimate concerns, there are mechanisms in place to get relief without having to create the perception of scandal and controversy within the department.
“I think that speaks to their complaints,” he said. “If there was anything to them, then they could’ve gone to the city and go through the proper channels to get them resolved.”
