County Executive Marc Elrich announced his nominee for fire chief — Corey Smedley, who says that, if confirmed to the position, “I will never let you down.”
This is the second major announcement for public safety leadership recently — just last week Elrich nominated a new police chief.
If Smedley’s nomination is confirmed, he will be the first Black fire chief for the county. The nomination must be approved by the county council before he can assume the position.
Smedley’s experience comes from outside Montgomery County — he was previously Fire Chief for Alexandria in Virginia, retiring from the position in January this year, and he was also previously Deputy Fire Chief for Prince George’s County.
It has been close to a year since former Fire Chief Scott Goldstein retired from his position and moved to the west coast for a fire chief position in Washington state.
Elrich previously nominated Charles Bailey, Division Chief within the county’s fire department, for the position, but the nomination fell through, with Elrich saying in March there was not enough support among the county council to move forward.
Smedley grew up in Washington, D.C. and currently lives in Chesapeake Beach. He is looking to relocate with his family and is considering moving to Montgomery County, he told MCM.
