A day after being fired from his post near the top of the Pensacola Fire Department, former Deputy Fire Chief Joe Glover said he believes the investigation into the fire department and his subsequent firing was retaliation for claims of discrimination he's made against the city in the past.
Glover and Interim Fire Chief Matt Schmitt were fired by Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward on Tuesday. They had been on paid leave during an investigation by Russell Van Sickle that took nearly three months. Van Sickle's probe resulted in a 132-page report. Both men had filed Equal Employment Opportunity complaints against the city, and Glover was a plaintiff in a 2005 case against the city, along with another black firefighter. The complaint alleged a hostile work environment.
Reached at home Wednesday, Glover said he felt the report was one-sided and that the city had gone out of its way to smear his name. Now, Glover said he's trying to figure out his next move.
"We'll see what happens," Glover said. "I'm just, right now, trying to figure out what I'm going to do from here."