06/14/2026
In response to the Lowell Sun article about Fire Chief Gary Ryan’s no confidence vote, we wanted to share his full letter and our responses in their entirety. If anything for transparency.
What we found most disappointing about Chief Ryan’s response was not that he disagreed with our conclusions. We expected that he would.
What was disappointing was that his immediate response to a unanimous vote of no confidence was to defend himself to Town leadership rather than reach out to the firefighters who expressed those concerns. At no point following the vote did he attempt to engage the membership, acknowledge the disconnect that exists within the department, or begin the difficult process of repairing those relationships.
Leadership does not require agreeing with every criticism. It does require recognizing when an overwhelming number of the people you lead have lost confidence in your leadership. Whether Chief Ryan believes those concerns are justified or merely perceived is ultimately beside the point. When an entire workforce feels disconnected from its leadership, the perception itself becomes a problem that must be addressed.
For nearly a decade, firefighters and union leadership have attempted to communicate these concerns through meetings, committee work, contract negotiations, and direct conversations. On multiple occasions, most recently in January of 2026 union leaders actively discouraged calls for a vote of no confidence because we believed that continued communication and collaboration could lead to meaningful improvements. Union leaders expressed this directly to Chief Ryan. This vote was not the beginning of that conversation. It was the result of years of unsuccessful attempts to have that conversation.
Instead of asking why so many firefighters reached this conclusion, Chief Ryan’s response focused on defending past decisions, assigning motives to the membership, and dismissing concerns as being tied to ongoing contract negotiations. We intentionally avoided assigning motives to Chief Ryan in our letter because we believed the facts and experiences of our membership should speak for themselves. It is disappointing to see the concerns of the department dismissed based on assumed motives rather than addressed on their merits.
This issue has never been personal. In fact, one of the areas where Chief Ryan scored most favorably in our survey was in treating members with professionalism and respect. However, professionalism alone cannot overcome what the overwhelming majority of respondents identified as a significant lack of leadership, communication, advocacy, and engagement with the workforce.
Ultimately, this vote was not about one incident, one disagreement, or one bargaining session. It was about years of growing frustration and a belief among our membership that the relationship between department leadership and the firefighters has deteriorated to a point that can no longer be ignored.
The response to a unanimous vote of no confidence should not begin with defending yourself to your supervisors. It should begin with asking how your organization reached that point and what can be done to repair it.
