Bao Nguyen, one of two candidates attempting to take down incumbent Garden Grove Mayor Bruce Broadwater in November, has released a statement calling for an investigation into the employment of the mayor's son, Jeremy Broadwater, as a Garden Grove firefighter despite poor job performance and a criminal record.
“Nepotism should have no place at City Hall, especially when public safety is involved,” Nguyen said in a statement.
]
The calls for an investigation are related to Broadwater's employment despite reportedly failing a late-stage interview with battalion chiefs and a criminal record that includes 10 arrests between 1996 and 200 for various misdemeanors. Broadwater was one of 10 new hires last October, chosen from a field of 500, reports the Reg.
Since his hiring, Broadwater has made several critical mistakes while on call, including giving incorrect vital signs and failing to check a patient's spine for injury before moving them. During one call, Broadwater said that a 90-year-old man had normal blood pressure and a steady pulse when he instead had high blood pressure and an irregular pulse, according to internal documents. A second firefighter would routinely check Broadwater's work due to the frequency of mistakes, reports the Reg.
Broadwater has declined to comment about the situation. Garden Grove City Manager Matthew Fertal told the Reg that some of the comments made on Broadwater by his superiors were “prepared with prejudice.”
The Garden Grove Fire Department is currently under an independent investigation after the firefighter's union voted 51-0 no confidence in Chief David Barlag citing low morale and unsatisfactory management and hiring practices.
Email:
cl**@oc******.com
. Twitter: @charlesnlam.
Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!
