The time allotted for public comments during the Board of Commissioners meeting at the Town Hall last Thursday was centered around the resignation of Fire Chief Jeremy Russell. Russell resigned from his position in the town as the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Operations Director in April and as the fire chief on the day of the board meeting.
Volunteer fire department chairman Jerry Mullis asked the commissioners to consider hiring four new personnel rather than the original three the department asked for. He said it is a requirement to have four people each shift, but that day they had only three. The Mint Hill Volunteer Fire Department often receives double calls, but the staff limitations force more of a reliance on other organizations.
He also asked that the town release e-mails from the past chief. Mullis explained that when Russell resigned from the town his e-mail was terminated. He is concerned there may be issues that require the organization’s action within the e-mails, but they cannot be sure what those issues are.
Mullis said Russell resigned from the fire department so as to not bring that organization into the issues he was having with the town.
“He wanted us not to be involved with that,” said Mullis.
Russell’s mother, Virginia, also spoke during the public comments. She asked the board to “pay my son for the vacation time he earned from the past 18 years.”
Russell was unavailable for comment.
