Arundel Names Next Fire Chief

31-Year Veteran Is Praised for Fiscal, Managerial Abilities

Growing up the son of a Baltimore firefighter, J. Robert Ray admired everything about his father and the men he worked with. So when the time came for Ray to pick a career, it was an easy decision.

Thirty-one years later, Ray has been appointed fire chief for Anne Arundel County. Ray, a deputy chief, will take over Oct. 1, when Chief David L. Stokes steps down.

Announcing the appointment last week at the fire department's headquarters in Millersville, County Executive John R. Leopold (R) called Ray the ideal person for the job.

Leopold said he spent two weeks looking for Stokes's replacement and interviewed six candidates, five of whom came from within the department. He said he needed someone with the fiscal sense to guide the department in hard economic times and someone who could work with volunteer and career firefighters.

Ray, who will become the county's ninth fire chief, has worked in a range of positions in the department -- from company grade officer to his current role -- during his 31-year career. He earned a bachelor's degree in fire science from the University of Maryland, has trained in several executive programs and taught in programs of the University of Maryland and Anne Arundel Community College.

He has served as the county's fire marshal, and in 2002, he was appointed head of the county's Department of Inspections and Permits.

In his current job as deputy chief of logistics, Ray oversees all capital expenditures for the department in addition to the maintenance and purchasing of equipment. His experience with finances was a key factor in his selection, said Leopold, who has spent the first two years of his administration tightening the county's budget amid looming revenue shortfalls.

Last week, Leopold announced cost-cutting policies for county police, which included curbing idling times in cruisers and turning off their cars' air conditioners when possible. He said he hoped to find similar efficiencies in the fire department.

"There are going to be some tough decisions ahead, especially on the economic side," Ray said of his new job. "The relationships between volunteer and career [firefighters] and with other agencies are going to be crucial, because we'll have to pull together to get through it."

When Stokes took the top job two years ago, there was an atmosphere of mistrust and a fractious relationship between the county's volunteer and career firefighters.

Stokes said he counts bridging that divide as one of the greatest accomplishments of his tenure.

On the fiscal side, Stokes said he and his staff have tried to cut as much as possible from this year's budget. As a result, the department is projected to return $2 million out of its $95 million budget to county coffers. It is also expected to come in $300,000 under budget on overtime expenses, for the first time in history, county fire officials said.

Stokes said he decided to step down primarily because of financial reasons.

"We had a good run. I have no complaints," he said. "I didn't want to retire, but this way I can draw on my pension and work another job to support my family."