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No Place for Mean Boys

By RICHARD STEIER
Posted 12/10/18

What began as a Daily News story detailing a conflict the Fire Department’s top uniformed officer, Chief of Department James Leonard, had with First Deputy Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, within a couple of days developed into Mr. Leonard being relieved of his duties because apparently he had antagonized a number of other top department officials.

That made it clear that this was something bigger than resentment over Ms. Kavanagh’s swift rise in the FDNY ranks after spending the early part of her career in the political arena. She made a strong impression as an Assistant Commissioner by attracting record numbers of minority and female candidates for the last Firefighter exam, a key priority at a time when the department is being overseen by a monitor appointed by U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis as part of the settlement reached four years ago of a lawsuit brought by the Vulcan Society charging that the test for the job had long discriminated against black candidates.

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