Fire Commish Scoppetta Explains Resignation

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta further explained his decision to resign at the end of the year. He told the Daily News, "47 years in city government is enough," while saying to the NY Times, "The reason I am leaving now is I have decided, after 47 years, that if I am ever going to get to those other things, like teaching and writing, and some traveling. I better get to it now."

Scoppetta is 76 years old; he had previously been the Commissioner of Children's Services (under Giuliani) and has also served as a Deputy Mayor and a Manhattan assistant district attorney (under Frank Hogan, Robert Morgenthau's predecessor).

Some aren't unhappy to see him go: The Uniformed Firefighters Associations' president Stephen Cassidy said, "The Scoppetta years were not kind to the Fire Department of the City of New York" (Uniformed Fire Officers Association president John McDonnell was more measured to the Times, "We sort of had some rocky roads, but we maintained an open-door policy, which, as a union official, was one of the most important things you can ask for"). And Firefighter Hourly slammed, "One of the worst examples of his poor leadership was the aftermath of The Duetsche Bank Fire when two firefighters perished. Instead of the Fire Commissioner stepping up and taking responsibility for the failure at his level he allowed firefighters to take the hit and several were reassigned."