During Monday night’s Indianola Board of Aldermen meeting, the city fathers formally accepted the resignation of Chief Edrick Hall and also unanimously voted to appoint Assistant Chief Earnest Gilson as the interim chief as of Feb. 15.
Hall’s last day is slated to be Feb. 14.
However, an additional motion by Alderman Marvin Elder, to appoint investigator Sgt. Regina Simpson as the interim assistant police chief failed due to lack of a second.
During the discussion it was stated that it is customarily the chief's/interim chief's privilege to appoint his own second in command.
The leaders also approved a request to advertise for a permanent chief using $58,000 as a base salary, but actual pay will be commensurate on experience and qualifications.
It was stressed that Gilson’s appointment as interim would not negate his applying for the permanent position.
In other business,
A discussion raised by Alderman Sam Brock on the topic of returning to face-to-face board meetings in the city annex building received no immediate action after Mayor Steve Rosenthal announced that he was planning to do so at the end of March, if the CDC guidelines lessened,
Brock asserted, "Other meetings going on in the city annex and I don't see why that the board meeting cannot be held in the city annex. All we got to do is spread out according to the CDC standards or the state health department’s standards.”
Brock said the city could also afford to put up dividers wherever dividers are needed and regulate the people who need to come in to the sessions in intervals. "I think it's time for us to return to the city annex for our meetings."
Rosenthal mentioned a list of logistical moves needed to properly space out the city leaders and re-stated his intended objective. “My goal is to be able to come out of Zoom meetings by the end of March,” he said.
"So, we can't move before March is what you're saying?" asked Brock.
"I don't plan to, no," said Rosenthal.
Brock then mentioned a gathering that Rosenthal was connected to that was recently held in the annex that he said involved more than 32 people and suggested that Rosenthal was not following any CDC guidelines.
“No, it had less than 25,” said Rosenthal.
However, Brock asserted that number to still be out of compliance with the guidelines.
Despite Brock's continued requests, Rosenthal remained unmoved.
"Well, I'll consider that. We'll look at it at the end of March," he said.
Referencing an earlier incident where a virtual attendee blurted out a series of expletives directed toward one of the aldermen that momentarily disrupted the session, Alderman Darrell Simpson asserted that something needed to be done to keep some type of decorum with regard to the meetings.
With that, Rosenthal suggested making some changes to the settings for the virtual meetings to eliminate the interruptions.
"That would alleviate all of these vulgarities being spoken by people who don't understand the system," said Rosenthal.
Additionally, the aldermen decided not to make any changes to the city's current emergency proclamation based on information from Attorney Kim Merchant that there have been no major changes at the state level.
Several personnel matters were voted on after the aldermen ended a closed executive session and reassembled. In addition to accepting Hall’s resignation and Gilson’s appointment, they also accepted the resignation of a deputy water clerk and a public works employee.
They hired full-time employees at the animal shelter, water department and public works, plus a police dispatcher. But, they took no action on hiring a full-time animal control officer.
