November 3, 2009 Firefighters 'would love' to heal relationship with Menino Play video

(NECN: Dorchester, Mass.) - One of the parties disappointed with the re-election of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino was the Boston Firefighters Local 718, which put it support behind change and Michael Flaherty.

The Boston Firefighters have been engaged in a labor dispute with the city, a dispute highlighted by the death of a member of the department due to brake failure in the ladder truck he was driving.

"Certainly the Boston Firefighters have good reason to seek new leadership (with the way) the Menino administration has treated us. We've seen the infrastructure of our job collapse, and that infrastructure led to the death of one of our members in January -- Lt. Kevin Kelley," Ed Kelly, President of Boston Firefighters Local 718, said.

Kelly noted that the Boston Firefighters backed Mayor Menino in his 2006 re-election bid, and the group felt slighted in his most recent term. Though Kelly put forth some serious charges, he said the hope was to repair the relationship.

"We'd love to, because it's about the city of Boston. It's about the citizens, it's about public safety," Kelly said. "We want to make sure that the people of Boston have the best product that we can deliver, and that's certainly what we want to work toward."

Mayor Menino has, in the past, insisted that he has done everything he could for the fire department in this labor dispute.