After returning from a closed session on Monday night, the Indianola Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to demote Assistant Fire Chief Johnny Hughes to his previous position as firefighter.
The vote came subsequent to the announcement that the newly-selected Fire Chief Orlando Battle would immediately assume the lead role of the department, and that William Alford would become the new assistant chief.
Battle was not scheduled to take on his new position until April 15, however, Mayor Steve Rosenthal later explained that Chief Eugene Snipes chose to use some of his vacation time and to prevent the city from being without a chief, they moved Battle’s start date forward.
Snipes announced his retirement in late March.
Battle was promoted to chief at the same meeting, but no other personnel changes were discussed.
Battle told The E-T after being hired that he was open to working with Hughes.
Alford has been at the Indianola Fire Department for 22 years, Battle said.
