The Vaiden Board of Aldermen will meet tonight for their regularly scheduled meeting, but the main topic on the agenda will be the termination of their police chief William Perry. Perry was terminated at a special-call meeting last month, but Vaiden’s mayor, Mel Hawthorne said the case will be heard again tonight.
Hawthorne said the board voted 3-to-1 at the special meeting on Jan. 20 to terminate Perry because of “things he was supposed to be doing and he wasn’t doing them.” It is believed Perry will challenge the board’s decision.
Because all matters relating to personnel are discussed in Executive Session, Hawthorne was limited as to what he could say about Perry’s performance as the town‘s police chief.
The matter will be heard again tonight because two board members, and the board attorney, Lane Greenlee, were not present for the special meeting. The three alderman present at that meeting were Lisa Williams-Hemphill, Grace Voorhees, and Curtis Meeks. Williams-Hemphill was the nay vote. Doris Fluker and Stella Bell were not present.
Mayor Hawthorne, who was elected as the first black mayor of Vaiden last summer, recruited Perry for the police chief’s position and recommended that the board hire him about six months ago. Prior to this position, Perry, who is originally from Canton, served as an officer with the Lexington Police Department and the Canton Police Department.
Hawthorne has been the acting police chief since Perry’s departure.
Perry, 43, replaced the former police chief Terry Andrews, when she resigned when Hawthorne began his administrative term. Andrews served as Vaiden’s police chief for six years replacing Terry Peeples, who had also been terminated by Vaiden’s town board. Peeples also challenged the board’s decision to no avail.
Tonight’s meeting will take place at Vaiden City Hall at 7 p.m.
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