'No hard feelings,' says Menlo fire board member 'No hard feelings,' says Menlo fire board member (May 08, 2002)

A Menlo Park Fire Protection District board member doesn't harbor any ill will toward the district employee whose claims led to a bribery investigation by the county district attorney's office.

That's according to an e-mail he wrote to the employee, acting Chief Ed Greene.

"I have no hard feelings about recent events," wrote Steve Kennedy, a director on the board of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District.

It was signed, "Your friend, Steven P. Kennedy."

The meat of the roughly one-page, May 2 e-mail offered advice on how Mr. Greene could involve the district more in the East Palo Alto community. Such suggestions from board members are not unusual, said Mr. Greene.

The district serves Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Atherton, and unincorporated areas of San Mateo County.

After Mr. Greene told the board's president of a March 23 conversation that he said "seemed inappropriate," and Mr. Kennedy refused to verify or deny that it took place, his fellow board members voted April 16 to turn the matter over to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, which has since begun an investigation.

According to Mr. Greene, Mr. Kennedy offered to support Mr. Greene's bid for the permanent fire chief's job if he would support Mr. Kennedy's idea to donate a used fired truck to Afghanistan.

Mr. Kennedy said he has since told an investigator for the district attorney's office that the "gist" of the allegations is true, but that Mr. Greene's account "reflects the chief's selective memory lapses.

"What I said was taken out of context and over-hyped," he told the Almanac. He would not comment on his recollection of exactly what was said, noting that he had been advised not to by his attorney.

Deputy District Attorney Sean Gallagher did not return the Almanac's calls to comment on the status of the investigation by press time.