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No-confidence letter issued to fire union chief

Deborah Sederberg
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - The president of the Michigan City firefighters union on Friday dismissed a letter of no confidence in his leadership that has been distributed to firefighters.

Dated Sept. 19 and directed to "Whom it may concern; any and all stakeholders," the letter is signed by executive board members Jack Van Etten, secretary-treasurer of Michigan City Firefighters Association Local 475; vice president Greg Wallen; and trustees Jeff Bruder, Spencer Walker and Barrett Taylor.

The letter says in part: "It is with regret that the executive board of Local #475 inform all potential stakeholders that it feels President Doug Bolka does not represent the interests of MCFD Local #475.

"Therefore all further correspondence from any and all concerned shall be brought to the MCFD Local #475 Executive Board for consideration."

The News-Dispatch was unable to contact Van Etten for comment. Wallen, when contacted at the fire department, declined to elaborate on the letter.

Having served as president in 2001 and 2002, Bolka, a 28-year veteran of the department, said Friday he is confident of his understanding of union practice and procedures. He says the international union makes provisions for removing a president from office. The Sept. 19 letter is not sufficient to the job, he said.

"(The letter) is very embarrassing," he said, although it doesn't allege any wrongdoing or neglect of his duties.

Bolka said he has had some disagreements with Van Etten and Wallen.

As president of the local union, Bolka is charged with making committee assignments. He said Van Etten had been a member of the contract negotiating committee but because he was involved in training sessions that would conflict with negotiating sessions, Bolka said he removed Van Etten from that committee.

He said Wallen had requested to be appointed to the negotiating committee, but Bolka said he and Wallen are so different from each other that he wasn't comfortable with him on the committee.

Union presidents serve one-year terms, Bolka said. Nominations are made in November and union members vote in December. Officers assume their duties in January. He may run for another term, Bolka said.

For now, he said, "I am president. Everybody (at the fire department) thinks I am president and I am."

Contact Deborah Sederberg at dsederberg@thenewsdispatch.com.