DeKalb commission doesn’t approve safety director job

DeKalb County Chief Executive Officer Burrell Ellis tried to get county commission funding Tuesday for a new public safety director who would outrank the chief of police, but he offered no new information on how he will replace the chief he fired one day earlier.

Commissioners did not approve the new position, but they agreed to set aside money for it in the county budget to give Ellis more time to convince them it’s needed.

Acting Police Chief William O’Brien attended the commission meeting Tuesday. He declined to be interviewed, saying his comments would be premature until he learns how much longer he will be in the position.

Ellis made O’Brien acting chief Feb. 11, while Chief Terrell Bolton was on administrative leave. Ellis fired Bolton on Monday, saying he had disobeyed his orders and had violated county policies. Bolton denied the allegations and has vowed to appeal to the county merit system and the courts if necessary.

Ellis’ representatives did not respond to questions Tuesday about how he will choose a new chief and whether O’Brien will remain acting chief until then.

On Tuesday, the county commission declined to immediately fund Ellis’ request for $284,814 for a new Cabinet-level position of public safety director to coordinate police, fire and other public safety functions. Instead, the commission put the money in a reserve fund.

Since he took office Jan. 1, Ellis has said in numerous speeches that the position is needed.

During a public hearing before the budget vote, a long line of residents spoke in favor of the measure and the budget that Ellis proposed. “We support the budget wholeheartedly,” said Gil Turman, president of the South DeKalb Neighborhoods Coalition. “We also feel that the county needs a public safety director.”

On Tuesday, a couple of commissioners — Elaine Boyer from northeast DeKalb and Kathie Gannon from Decatur — spoke in favor of Ellis’ proposal, but most of the seven commissioners said he hadn’t convinced them the money would be well spent.

“It just seems to be another level of bureaucracy in DeKalb County government,” said Lee May, a commissioner from the southern end of the county.

Sharon Barnes-Sutton, who succeeded Ellis as the commissioner from central DeKalb after last year’s elections, said public safety was on the minds of most of the people who attended her town hall meetings. But they weren’t clamoring for a public safety director, she said. “They wanted more police officers on the streets.”