South Point Mayor Ron West needs to be honest with village residents and the volunteer firefighters who serve the community by sharing his true intentions for hiring the new fire chief.

West says he is still considering the two top candidates, but his actions appear to say otherwise. The position has been vacant for more than a month. It was widely believed that West was going to appoint David Hamm last month, but the mayor chose not to do so after some firefighters pointed out that the candidate’s qualifications were not in order.

Many in the department continue to lobby for Mark Goodall, who is serving as the acting chief, to get the position full-time. At a meeting earlier this week, West chose to delay again this decision and did not offer much explanation as to why.

When asked later, he said because it would take Hamm more time to get the certification needed. Then he contradictorily said that Goodall was still under consideration.

That simply doesn’t make sense. If the mayor has already made his choice for the job, hopefully it is because he feels he has the best candidate. That is fine. But he needs to be up front with the firefighters and tell them that.

If the mayor considers Goodall a viable candidate, why delay? It certainly looks as if he is simply waiting until his first choice has had time to get the needed certifications.

To continue to uphold the masquerade that it is still an open race, when it appears to be anything but, is a disservice to the men and women who serve on the volunteer fire department and all the taxpayers who pay the bills.

The department needs a full-time fire chief sooner rather than later. The mayor owes it to everyone to make a decision and explain it.