Charles Bailey’s nomination for Montgomery County Fire Chief dropped

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Montgomery County Fire and EMS Division Chief Charles Bailey’s nomination for Chief of the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Services has been dropped.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich’s office released the following statement regarding Bailey’s nomination:

"Following consultation with members of the County Council, a pathway forward for the nomination of Division Chief Charles Bailey as Chief of the Montgomery Fire and Rescue Services was not deemed feasible.

He appreciates Division Chief Bailey’s decades of service to the residents of Montgomery County and continued commitment to MCFRS.

Moving forward, the County Executive is currently evaluating alternative candidates to nominate as MCFRS Chief. We will provide notice to the public when a nomination letter for this position is submitted to the County Council."

Bailey has been with Montgomery County Fire and EMS for 34 years. His family history goes back even further. He told FOX 5 last year that his ancestors were once slaves in the county and that there are streets named after his relatives.

The confirmation vote was originally expected to take place in mid-January.

The Montgomery County Council released the following statement:

"While there is no nomination for fire chief currently before the Council because County Executive Elrich’s nomination of Charles Bailey expired in January, we understand that the County Executive has announced he will be seeking to identify a new nominee," said Council President Andrew Friedson. "It is the County Executive’s responsibility to garner support from Councilmembers for his nominees. The Council takes seriously its role to advise and consent on appointment nominations to ensure public accountability, and we await an official nomination transmittal for this critical role."