SANFORD, Maine — Just one week after the Sanford City Council voted to get rid of the city's Fire Marshal, it said to save money, the same council voted to reinstate him.
That decision, last Tuesday, to cut the job blindsided the City Manager Steve Buck and Fire Chief Steve Benotti.
Both Buck and Benotti say the move created a public safety threat to Sanford.
Benotti says Fire Marshal Patrick Cotter is an integral part of the Sanford community, responsible for many tasks including fire investigations, enforcing building codes and fire education.
"What I said before I stand by. He is a critical part of the city, critical part of this department, critical to moving the economic engine of the city forward. Keeping our community safe, keeping codes and standards where they should be" Benotti says.
The controversy started at last Tuesday's city council meeting.
The budget advisory committee presented it's recommended budget to the council, without any cuts to the fire department.
But seemingly out of nowhere Mayor Tom Cote, who is also the council chair, called to de-fund the fire marshal position and two new firefighting positions, in an effort to make budget cuts and avoid tax increases.
The council agreed voting in 6 to 1 in favor.
City Councilor John Tuttle was one of those people caught off-guard, but ended up supporting the cuts, anyway.
"It has been a long meeting and it was late." Tuttle says.
Tuttle has since had a change of heart.
"I've always learned you can re-access. I did receive calls from many folks after the first vote that we should reconsider. So I made the motion and we were successful. I think the issue of public safety is paramount."
At Tuesday night's council meeting Mayor Cote addressed last weeks abrupt action.
"If anybody has a thought of me putting the community at risk, that was not my intent. It was not my intent to put the community in harms way" Mayor Cote says.
He also apologized to Fire Marshal Cotter for the way he handled the situation and told the full house the decision to eliminate the position was strictly a budget issue.
Chief Benotti says he is elated they got the position back but the damage has already been done.
"The thing here is they broke the trust of the group that works hard all year to do the right thing in the city.
While the council voted to reinstate the fire marshal's position, it did vote against funding two new firefighting positions.