A decision that city officials would pay benefits to the widow of Salem Firefighter Maurice 'Mo' Stadell was met with applause and cheers Monday night.
The announcement that the city was dropping an appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court came as hundreds of firefighters from across the state marched outside, KOIN reported.
Stadell, a firefighter for 28 years, died in 2019 of tonsillar cancer.
Tina Stadell promised her late husband she would fight city hall not only for his benefits, but for those of all firefighters in Oregon.
“I was expecting them to say they would take it into consideration, but for them to just come right out and say we’re going to stop it, it was pretty amazing. What these guys have fought for and done was amazing. I’m very relieved,” she said after the meeting.
“It’s been incredible,” “I had an incredible husband. The support has just been amazing. I’ve been doing this fight since 2019 and it’s been back forth, back and forth to court. The support I have had these last few weeks…I don’t know how to say it. It’s been like having 3,500 new members of my family all of a sudden. These guys have just stood up and said some incredible things. I don’t know how to express my love to them and my respect.”
Matt Brozovich, President for Salem Professional Firefighters Local 314, said of the decision: “Not relief for the Local or the firefighters, but relief for Tina and her family. They have been fighting this fight for almost four years. This is what she deserves, this is the peace that she deserves. We are very happy to be able to move forward as a local, as an international union and support the cancer presumption. But this isn’t about us. This is about Tina and Tina’s family and this is about us all remembering Mo for the person he was, the person who sacrificed 28 years for the city of Salem. That’s what this is about.”
