Wichita, KS, Mayor Denies Union Accusation She Ordered Layoff

Oct. 28—The Wichita firefighters' union has filed an ethics complaint against Wichita Mayor Lily Wu, alleging she directed the fire chief to lay off 45 firefighters in a private meeting. That move would be prohibited by city ordinance.

Wu, in a written statement, denied "any and all allegations" and said she plans to fully cooperate with the Wichita Ethics Board's investigation.

Under the city of Wichita's charter, the mayor and City Council members are prohibited from directing department heads and other city employees to take specific actions that have not been approved by the City Council as a whole. Department heads report to City Manager Robert Layton who reports to the City Council.

The ethics complaint, filed on behalf of the IAFF Local 135 by Ted Bush, its president, alleges that Wu — "completely by herself and purporting to be able to make these orders based solely upon her authority as Mayor" — ordered Fire Chief Tammy Snow to lay off 45 Wichita Fire Department employees by the end of 2025. It says Wu made it clear "that [Snow] did not have any choice in the matter."

"As communicated by Chief Snow, Mayor Wu visited her office and informed her of the above and told her she did not care how she did, but that she must reduce personnel by forty-five (45) positions. Chief Snow agreed to enact the layoffs but did advise her of the extreme negative impact it would have on the Wichita Fire Department and the City of Wichita," the complaint says.

The City Council has discussed — but not approved — eliminating up to 42 firefighter positions that are funded by a federal grant to help offset an expected $55 million budget shortfall between 2026 and 2028. The city budget for 2025 that was approved in August does not include firefighter layoffs.

The complaint says Wu violated the city ordinance that prohibits overstepping by council members in the running of city departments, which in turn is a violation of the city's ethics ordinance that requires the mayor and council members to "conduct themselves so as to maintain public confidence in the City and its officials." Her alleged action also violated the ethics ordinance's prohibition on interfering with or expressing an improper interest in the city's hiring process, the complaint says.

"Spending decisions belong with the full of City Council and the City Manager's office," Bush, the union president, said in a written statement. "Hiring decisions belong with departments. Any attempt to circumvent that process is deeply concerning. The impact of this conversation, in particular, could have severely damaged our ability to protect the citizens of Wichita and each other. . . . If the investigation confirms that local ordinances and/or ethical guidelines have been violated, appropriate action should be taken as soon as possible."

Wu called the firefighters' union complaint "false and frivolous" and said announcing the complaint publicly is "an apparent attempt to further its goal of damaging my reputation."

The union endorsed Wu's opponent, then-incumbent Brandon Whipple, in the 2023 election.

"My support for public safety, including the Wichita Fire Department, is well documented," Wu said in her statement. "This is merely a continuation of the union's repeated attacks and attempts to damage my reputation, which began during last year's mayoral campaign."

Directors such as the fire chief and police chief take orders from the city manager. Department heads, such as the fire chief, are supposed to report any instructions or directions given by individual council members or the mayor "immediately to the city manager, who, in turn, shall bring such improper actions to the attention of the entire council for such action as may be appropriate in each individual case," according to a city ordinance cited in the complaint.

Layton, the city manager, has never brought concerns to the entire council during a public meeting.

It's unclear when the meeting between Snow and Wu allegedly occurred. Snow and Layton did not immediately respond to questions on Monday.

This story was originally published October 28, 2024, 5:25 PM.

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