The Duluth firefighters union voted to support a draft resolution censuring Fire Chief Dennis Edwards and Deputy Chief Shawn Krizaj — a move the city of Duluth says is in response to a potential change to the union status of the assistant fire chiefs and fire marshal.
The Duluth Firefighters Local 101 unanimously approved last week to forward a draft censure resolution, expressing "severe disapproval" of Edwards and Krizaj, to the International Association of Fire Fighters for consideration at its August convention, according to a statement from the local's executive board. ... In its own statement about the censure resolution, the city of Duluth pointed out that the union's resolution is coming on the heels of the city's application to the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services to determine whether the Duluth Fire Department's assistant chiefs, who are members of the union, are "supervisory employees" under the Minnesota Public Employee Labor Relations Act. Edward and Krizaj have maintained and improved the excellence of the department amid budget challenges since they stepped into the leadership roles in 2016, according to the city's statement, which added, "Change and innovation can be challenging for any organization."