'Nick' Ban

Butler Fire Chief George “Nick” Ban Jr. is being demoted to the rank of lieutenant,

Ban, 51, was notified of the pending demotion in a letter today from Mayor Tom Donaldson.

Donaldson told the Butler Eagle this morning the move is necessary to effect changes in a resistant fire department in the municipality that needs to make changes to save money.

“We’ve got to make changes, and we might as well start with a change at the top,” Donaldson said.

The demotion takes effect at midnight Saturday. The mayor said he does not know who will replace Ban as chief.

“I intend to ask one of the captains to fill in on an interim basis. We might have to go outside to find a permanent replacement,” he said.

Donaldson said the demotion should not be seen in any way as a mark on Ban’s character.

Ban has been the fire chief since April 24, 2008. He has been with the department for 25 years.

A telephone message to Ban’s office was not returned this morning.