Police, Fire Chiefs Voted out in Alexander City
Two longtime city leaders in Alexander City are now out of a job. The city council voted Monday night to not reappoint the city’s fire and police chiefs. The two have over 60 years in combined service to the city.
Kem Jones, the city’s first female fire chief, worked at the fire department for over 25 years, and Willie Robinson, the city’s first African American police chief, worked at the department for over 30 years.
Mayor Jim Nabors praised the two chiefs for the service to the city but said the council had many reasons for the decision.
“Concerns about how personnel were treated, concerns about the turnover rate in some of them…and an attitude or atmosphere that was not conducive to everbody coming together,” he explained.
Some residents in Alexander City think differently though, and are speaking out in support of the two former chiefs.
“The concerns that were presented to the council people by these employees apparently were never completely presented to the candidates to address those concerns straight on,” explained Tallapoosa County Commissioner Thomas Coley.
The department’s deputy chiefs will step into the leadership roles. The city council hopes to appoint new chiefs in the next three to four weeks.
