Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 27, 1993 TAG: 9305270236
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV14 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
McKinney's last day as chief is Friday. Keister will name an interim chief and the position will be advertised.
Keister said he notified Town Council during a closed session last Thursday that he did not plan to reappoint McKinney, but a letter notifying the chief was not delivered to him until Tuesday.
The chief said he was out in his patrol car Tuesday when he was called into the office where Town Manager Gary Elander handed him a letter from the mayor. The letter said he served at the pleasure of council and would not be reappointed.
McKinney, 62, has been with the Dublin Police Department for 16 1/2 years. He said town officials "were all well aware" he was planning "to retire before the year was out."
Keister would not give his reasons for the decision other than to say that, as mayor, he makes appointments to various town positions with the approval of council.
In making those appointments, the mayor said, he has to do what he thinks is best for the town.
McKinney said he had not been given a reason for his dismissal and that "no one officially has approached me." He apparently is considering his legal options.
"I'm speaking with an attorney to see what my grounds are," he said.
Keister said he "just felt like we needed new ideas and new direction.
The town, which has a population of 2,012, has a police department with six sworn officers in addition to a police chief.
"We have some real good men here. They're good police officers, well-trained. We're proud of them and they do us an excellent job," Keister said.
"When you have a small department like ours, you have to wear many hats," he said. "We're not a security agency, we're a law enforcement agency and that's what you have to do. I hope the chief has a good life, I really do."
by CNB