By Lucas Sullivan, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – Retired Columbus Fire Chief Ned Pettus has been picked by Mayor Andrew Ginther to lead the city’s police and fire divisions.
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Ginther made the announcement Thursday afternoon in the gymnasium of Linden-McKinley STEM Academy. The announcement concluded a four-month search.
Pettus, 64, replaces George Speaks, who returns to deputy director after more than a year leading the department. Pettus will start Aug. 1 at a salary of $161,000 annually.
“This is one of the biggest decisions I’d make as mayor,” Ginther said. “I needed someone who could build bridges.”
Ginther said Pettus grew up in Linden and graduated from Linden-McKinley, which helps him understand the needs of the city’s neighborhoods. Pettus now lives in Gahanna.
“He is all that I could ask for,” Ginther said.
Pettus, who is black, assumes Ginther’s most important cabinet position and will be relied upon to calm tensions between the black community and police. Pettus also will be charged with combating the growing heroin epidemic and outfitting police officers with body cameras later this year.
Pettus said his top priority is to build bridges between the black community and police. He said black leaders trust him and will talk to him.