Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren has named a new fire chief. Will Jackson, a 20 year veteran of the fire department who has been Deputy Chief since 2016 will fill the top spot, replacing John Schreiber who is retiring after 30 years with the department.
“Chief Jackson has dedicated his career to the Rochester Fire Department and serving the residents of Rochester,” Warren said. “He regularly goes above and beyond, helping the Department become one of the very best in the country. Our firefighters are our city’s everyday heroes, each and every day risking their lives to protect ours. His appointment opens a new and exciting chapter for the Rochester Fire Department. I would also like to thank Chief Schreiber for his service and wish him well in retirement.”
Also on Thursday, Warren named Justin Roj as the Director of Communications and Special Events. He replaces James Smith who is going to be Deputy Mayor.
City officials say Roj has more than 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors.
Back in 2016, Roj, who had been Assistant Monroe County Executive, was asked by Monroe County Executive Cheryl Dinolfo to resign, over issues related to the then-controversy over construction of the I-Square development in Irondequoit.
Most recently, Roj worked at Popli Design Group, a local architecture and engineering firm as Director of Operations.
Mayor Warren also announced on Friday that Carlet Cleare will be joining the Communications Bureau as Associate Digital Communications Assistant. She was a broadcast journalist for more than 10 years, most recently at 13WHAM-TV. Prior to that, she worked at WXXI and at R-News.
