Hearings Set For New Chiefs

As city leaders review Mayor Harvey Johnson’s picks for police and fire chiefs, one city councilman says the public should have a greater say in the process.

Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba is hosting a public forum at 7:00 pm this Sunday at City Hall.  He says he wants citizens to express their views on the mayor’s selections.
 

“I think they should have a right to speak publicly and let their feelings be known,“ he said.  “I’m going to listen to everything I can, listen to what the community has to say.“

The city council will hold confirmation hearings at 3:00 pm on October 20th. 

Earlier this month, Mayor Johnson announced Rebecca Coleman as his choice for Jackson’s next chief of police and Raymond McNulty as the city’s next fire chief.  Both have previously worked for their respective departments.  According to the mayor’s office, the new police chief will earn $97,000 a year, and the new fire chief will earn $90,000 a year.
 

“In the past weeks, I’ve spoken to a number of candidates from virtually every segment of law enforcement,“ said Johnson, when he publicly introduced the candidates.

But the mayor’s picks are creating a buzz among councilman who are closely listening to their constituents.

“They have their feelings about it, I’ll just leave it at that,“ said Council President Frank Bluntson.

Councilman Charles Tillman says he frustrated because the mayor never informed the council about his selections.  He called it “shared governance.“

“We learned about it from the media,“ he said. 

Tillman wrote the mayor a letter, expressing his disappointment, but says the two haven’t spoken about the incident.