WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — The board of aldermen will hold a closed special meeting Wednesday to discuss a public official or complaint against an employee.
The special meeting — to take place at 9 a.m. in the council chambers at town hall, 321 Causeway Drive — comes six days after Wrightsville Beach Fire Department staff started a “vote of no confidence” petition on Jan. 11. Currently with 447 signatures, it raises misconduct allegations against Fire Chief Josh Harraway, who took over the position in March 2022.
Town manager Tim Owens told Port City Daily he could not confirm if the special meeting is related to the petition.
The notice states the closed session is authorized by NCGS 143-318.11(a)(6), which allows closed meetings to “consider the qualifications, competence, performance, character, fitness, conditions of appointment, or conditions of initial employment of an individual public officer or employee.”
It also states closed meetings are utilized “to hear or investigate a complaint, charge, or grievance by or against an individual public officer or employee.” However, according to the law, discharge or removal of the public officer in question must take place in an open meeting.
PCD reached out to Haraway and fire department staff but did not speak to the chief or the petitioners by press. The Fire Department’s petition include a number of serious allegations:
- Changes to mutual aid agreements with Wilmington and New Hanover Fire Departments led to over 80 instances in 2023 where WBFD were off the island responding to other calls, leaving no fire personnel on the island.
- The chief improperly responded to an active shooter on Scotch Bonnet Lane in contradiction to FEMA and National Fire Protection Association guidelines. The petitoners state WBFD currently does not have a standard operating procedure to respond to active shooters.
- Making sexist or degrading comments to female staff, leading to the departure of six out of seven of the department’s female employees.
- Causing ocean rescue director Dave Baker to go on leave due to stress from the hostile work environment created by Haraway.
- Mishandling personnel issues, dismissing concerns raised by staff, and at times retaliating against employees who spoke out.
- Lack of support for the WBFD volunteer fire program, causing 2023 to be the first year in decades the department did not have a volunteer program. The petition states numerous volunteers were terminated or left of their own accord, citing Haraway’s leadership.
“In the nearly two years since Chief Haraway’s hiring at WBFD, his actions have diminished the services our fire department is able to provide to our community, as well as made our citizens and employees less safe,” the petitioners stated. “He has created a culture of fear, mistrust, and authoritarianism within a line of work that requires confidence, trust, and teamwork.”
On Monday, Mayor Darryl Mills and alderman Ken Dull told Port City Daily they were gathering facts about the petitioners’ allegations. Dull added because it is a closed session, he did not have an agenda as to what exactly would be presented at the meeting.
“There are clearly some serious allegations there that the town takes very seriously,” Mills told Port City Daily Monday. “And we’re going to look into it and investigate it and take appropriate action that may be warranted. Beyond that I really can’t comment.”
Tips or comments? Email journalist Peter Castagno at peter@localdailymedia.com.
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