Stockton Fire Marshal Ken Johnson named Lodi’s new fire chief
LODI After a national search, the Lodi City Council approved the hire of Ken Johnson to be the city’s new fire chief during Wednesday’s council meeting.
“It turns out that we didn’t have to look farther than a few blocks away from City Hall,” Lodi City Managed Steve Schwabauer said during the council meeting.
With all 5 council members voting to name him new fire chief, Johnson is scheduled to start May 31. Johnson will be replacing Ron Penix, the current interim fire chief, who has been in the position since December, when Fire Chief Gene Stoddart retired after 30 years of service.
Earlier this year, Lodi Police Chief Tod Patterson retired from his post after 33 years in law enforcement, and now his counterpart in the fire department will be following in his footsteps.
Lodi Fire Chief Gene Stoddart announced in October he would be retiring, and this week he said Dec. 27 would his last official day at work.
âIâve always wanted to move forward and try new things, and I think that shows in the history of my career,â Stoddart said. âMy goal when becoming chief was to set the organization up for the next 10 to 15 years, and I can honestly say I think Iâve met that mark.â