Politics & Government

Westbrook Fire Chief Dismissed For Social Media Post

Westbrook's fire chief has been dismissed after he made a controversial post on Facebook.

(Patch graphic)

WESTBROOK, CT — Westbrook Fire Chief Mike Jenkins has been dismissed by the Fire Board of Commissioners following a controversial post he made on Facebook, according to WTNH. Last week he was put on paid administrative leave as a public works employee.

The post on an Old Saybrook community forum used crude language to compare former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Kamala Harris to Forrest and Jennie from "Forrest Gump."

Community members shared a screenshot of the post and urged the town to take action, according to WTNH. Westbrook Democratic Committee Chair Kate Sullivan noted that the First Amendment does not cover hate speech, and "this was basically that."

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