Demopolis Fire Chief Ron Few must feel like a child at Christmas. During Thursday&8217;s city council meeting, Few requested $10,000 to furnish Fire Station No. 3. In effect, the council issued the chief a blank check.

The lone dissenting vote came from District 4 Councilman Jack Cooley, who questions why Few asked for so much money &8212; and provided so few details in return.

Cooley is a member of the Public Safety Committee, and is rightly concerned with how Few spends the city&8217;s money. What is troubling is that the rest of the council seems far less concerned.

Lest we forget, Few has been accused of mismanaging money before, in a previous job. While we recognize that Few is the expert when it comes to staffing and furnishing a fire station, his past indicates that he needs someone to hold him on a financial leash.

Nor should we forget the ongoing drainage and bridge repair projects of which the city is seeking financial backing.

Fire Station No. 3 will open in mid-May &8212; once again moved back &8212; and as the project drags on, it is starting to look like a muddle from which the city will never escape. The project has been plagued since its inception, and the council has spent more and more of the city&8217;s money to complete the project.

Demopolis can&8217;t afford to keep throwing money into this project &8212; especially at the discretion of someone with Few&8217;s past. The city needs to see the new fire station open &8212; the sooner, the better.