Biloxi councilman says he felt disrespected over police chief transition
A Biloxi city councilman told the city council he learned only after the fact that the police chief had retired and an interim replacement had been appointed.
At the Sept. 22 Biloxi City Council meeting, during a director's report and return-to-work discussion, Councilman Marshall of Ward 2 said the city's leadership change at the police department caught him off guard. "It just made me feel like I was disrespected as a city councilman to do that," Marshall said. He added, "I can only speak for me but ... I understand that some of the other councilmen ... was felt the same way." The council president responded, "Thank you, Mr. Marshall," immediately after the remarks. No formal action was taken on the matter at the meeting.
The exchange surfaced friction among elected officials over how a significant personnel change at the police department was communicated, or not communicated, to the full council before it took effect. Leadership turnover atop a city police force is the kind of decision typically expected to be disclosed to a governing body in advance, making Marshall's public objection — and his suggestion that colleagues shared his frustration — notable beyond the routine business of the meeting.