A city alderman said the board has not received any notification of the possible resignation of Police Chief Jeff Curtis.
Ward 2 Alderman Dr. Jack Varner told The Yazoo Herald that as of Thursday Curtis is still on the job.
“He has made no indication of resigning, absolutely not,” Varner said.
The future of Curtis’ employment was in doubt after disciplinary action made by the board in its last executive session. At that time, he told The Herald that he had not been notified by the city council concerning his suspension, which aldermen said was reported as a result of “insubordination.” On a 3-2 vote, the board voted to suspend Curtis for three days and require him to attend a conflict resolution class.
Varner and Ward 4 Alderman Aubry Brent Jr. voted in opposition of Curtis’ suspension.
“He was suspended for three days without pay,” Varner confirmed. “But when his suspension is over, he will be back in good shape.”
Varner said he is unhappy with how some business is conducted with the city council. He said many incidents, including an altercation between Brent and Mayor Diane Delaware in a parking lot following the last meeting, has “never happened before.”
“I was elected to this board in October of 1995, serving 21 consecutive years,” Varner said.
“We have never had a mayor who interfered with our department heads. If there were problems, they were brought before the board. We would then try to correct the problem.”
Delaware previously The Herald that she is “CEO” of the city, and it is her duty to manage the city.
Delaware’s secretary told The Herald she was out of the office when called for comment Thursday afternoon.
Varner said he admits he can be “the worst one” when it comes to disagreements among board members. But he said there has never been so much conflict on the board.
“We have never had anyone who tried to micro-manage or intimidate our department heads like we do now,” Varner added. “It’s never been like that in my 21 years.”
Varner said he wishes the board would behave more reasonably when taking actions.
“We need to sit down like five sensible people,” he said. “Even if you are on the losing side, accept the majority and move on. Vote the way you think is best for the town. If you lose, accept it.”
Varner said he is pleased with Curtis’ overall performance in his position as police chief.
“In my opinion, Chief Curtis is the most knowledgeable, best police chief we have ever had,” he added.
