Tolleson names new fire chief; predecessor’s departure still unclear

Tolleson will have a new fire chief, under a cloud of uncertainty.

Timothy Schabbel was selected by the city earlier this month and is undergoing the onboarding process, said a Tolleson spokesperson.

Schabbel manages fire districts in the South Bend, Indiana, area.

The news comes after Tolleson’s Fire Chief Garrett Roberts abruptly announced his resignation last month, but the reasons remain mysterious.

According to public records requests obtained by The Arizona Republic, Roberts resigned to avoid termination of employment.

Roberts’ last day of employment was Nov. 10, according to city documents.

He only started on Feb. 27, and Roberts was still in the probationary period at the time of his resignation.

“He can resign to avoid a termination on his record,” City Manager Reyes Medrano wrote to Employee Resources Director Wendy Jackson in a text message on Nov. 1.

The separation agreement between Roberts and the city stated that he voluntarily resigned with three months’ salary and benefits, which amounted to almost $50,000. Roberts’ salary was $185,400.

Per the separation agreement, Roberts cannot file any lawsuits against the city.

Before his resignation, Roberts was placed on administrative leave on Nov.1, although the reasons for that are unclear.

In text messages between Medrano and Jackson on Nov. 1, Medrano communicated to Jackson that Roberts felt he was in the dark about what happened.

Jackson indicated she would call Roberts on the phone, and Medrano stated Roberts could resign to avoid termination.

Jackson also forwarded to Medrano a message from Roberts, in which he asked about receiving six months’ pay with medical benefits due to his children having health issues.

“I really don’t even want to go down this road, I would love to remain apart of the Tolleson family and forget this ever happened, I am certain we won’t be able to change Reyes mind,” read the text message copy-and-pasted from Jackson to Medrano.

Medrano then told Jackson that city policy does not allow for six months’ severance pay and that while he understands how difficult the situation is, Roberts’ behavior brought Medrano to the decision.

Later text messages between Jackson and Medrano indicate a new fire administrator that was supposed to begin working for the city was a friend of Roberts’ and previously worked with his wife, with Medrano advising Jackson to rescind the offer.

According to public records, a certificate of termination for Roberts was drafted at the end of November.

Medrano and a city spokesperson declined to comment, saying only that Roberts and the city decided to mutually part ways.

Roberts could not be reached for comment.