This is no surprise. We all know the real criteria for getting a high ranking job in Decatur!

I hope you are not referring to race. Please do not bring that into play. Betty Marshal, an African American was a fine City Clerk that recently retired and Joel Gilliam, an African American, served many years as the Police Chief and did a great job. Both served the city well.

I truly hope you are referring to something else.

Northwest, if you are trying to bring race into this, you need to stop being ignorant and educate yourself. As Jennifer pointed out, race has not been an issue in other high ranking offices in Decatur. I find that people that always want to play the race card about everything is actually the real racist because they can't get past skin color when they relate to everything that happens in the world.

All three candidates were very qualified for the job, or they would not have ever been finalists for it. I really don't see where Billy Jackson thinks one was that much more qualified than another. His bias shows with his comment, so he talks out of both sides of his mouth when saying he did not want to present a perception of bias. Do I blame him? No, because I would expect anybody be biased towards a relative, so he at least had the integrity this time to refrain from being a part of the process. However, making comments about his brother being the most qualified, but now not getting the job, he has indirectly put himself in the process because that actually makes it public that he was against the Clark hiring. He should have just not commented about it all, but then that would not be Billy Jackson politics would it?

You could have found fault with any of the candidates if you nitpicked enough. Clark is already doing the job, so as with what happens many times when somebody is in an interim position, as long as they were not doing a horrible job, they get the job so that efficiency and continuity is preserved.

kinda funny that he has to pass a background check, when he's already a city employee. You'd think that this would be the same requirement for everyone to become a city employee.

Now the question is............. Will he be moving to Decatur?

When choosing from several well qualified candidates often the intangibles tip the scales for one candidate or another. In this case all three candidates had advantages the others did not. Shelton has seven years experience as a chief in Hartselle. Clark has been running the department on an interim basis and has shown the direction he can take the department. As Fire Marshall he also had experience with the public relations aspect within the City of Decatur. Jackson has more education and the most years with the department and is the only candidate currently a battalion commander.

When hiring a chief what should the criteria be? Knowledge in the logistics of managing a fire scene? That is the battalion chief's job. Knowledge of fire code enforcement? EMS expertise? That's the job Clark left to become interim chief. Experience running a much smaller department? Does it truly translate when each Battalion in Decatur is larger than the entire Hartselle Fire Department? The chief is first and foremost an administrator. He must have the skills to insure the department can meet daily objectives while staying within budget. He must have the public relations skills to garner good will as the public face of the department as well as deal with political controversy when necessary. Above all he must have leadership qualities that will attract those under his command to follow where he leads without being coerced. As long as all three of these candidates have served in the department I'm sure each of their leadership styles are well known to city insiders. Let us hope their decision was based on who is most capable to lead this department at this point in time.

To the "other" M- As far as the background check goes, it is standard procedure at many private sector companies as well as public service agencies to run a new background check each time an employee is promoted to greater areas of responsibility. This insures that nothing new has shown up since their last promotion. Many companies will also run a check periodically for employees in sensitive positions even if they have not changed jobs to see if anything new has occurred. I'm sure all three candidates have had several conducted already during their tenure with the City of Decatur.

I am sorry that anyone would stoop so low as to mention race! I am white and I do not live in the Northwest. Everyone knows a done deal when Mr. Clark was appointed to fill in. Knowing this mayor and council is all you have to do to be qualified to get this job, Mr. Clark has worked in City Hall for a number of years, not out where fire fighting is going on, his office is or was right under the Mayor!!! enough said..............

Mr. Jackson and Mr Shelton are far more capable of doing this job than that which was selected, their jobs did not allow them to hob knob with the mayor like Mr. Clark......Politics at it best!!!!

I think one of the M's makes good points. They all brought different things to the table.

Great Job Clark!!! I know your men were wanting you and now they have you. You have been going to us (public). Glad your the cheif.

N.W. resident...get some new material and quit cryin'...we have had a black police chief so I don't want to hear it. It is the best person for the job, regardless of race, creed, color, or sex.

I have often wondered how Billy Jackson has been reelected so many times when he does absolutely nothing! He either abstaines from votes when he is at the meetings or he has an excuse for not attending the meetings at all. Now I know how he gets reelected....the district he is over, people like Northwest, cries and plays the race card just like he does!!! Not everything in this world is about skin color----GET OVER IT!!!! I hope Billy Jackson gets beat in this upcoming election and the people in his district can get someone in there that will represent them properly, not bow out of every vote so he doesn't have anything to answer for. There are a lot of decent black people in high ranking city jobs and they got there because they were qualified, not because they were playing the race card and sitting around waiting for someone to drop handouts in their laps. They got off of their butts and worked for it.