Lake Wales Manager Forces Police Chief Herb Gillis to Quit
Judy Delmar demands Herb Gillis' resignation, says decision unrelated to strife with minority community..
Last Modified: Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:11 p.m.
LAKE WALES | Police Chief Herbert Gillis was forced to resign abruptly Friday afternoon because the city manager did not like the way he was running the Police Department.
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"There have been issues, and there has been a lot of stress internally," City Manager Judy Delmar said. "He offered his resignation, and I accepted."
Neither Delmar nor Gillis would discuss the details of what led to his dismissal.
Gillis, 39, said he chose to resign.
"I'm disappointed to know that my job performance didn't live up to the expectations of the city manager," he said, "and for that reason, I tendered my resignation.
"I wish the best for the department and for the Lake Wales community," he said. "Now my focus will be moving forward to find a means to support my family."
Delmar said Gillis' termination was not related to his decision to fire Burney Hayes, a former sergeant with the department who had a history of policy violations.
It also was not related to the way Gillis has handled issues with the Lake Wales branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, she said. The NAACP has supported Hayes, who is black, in his attempt to retain his job.
Those issues led the federal Department of Justice to intervene in December 2009 to forge an understanding between the city and the NAACP.
"This issue dealt strictly with internal problems with the department," she said.
Mayor Jack VanSickle said Friday afternoon he was aware of the chief's resignation but hadn't had a chance to talk with Delmar about the situation.
City Commissioner Michael Carter said he was not sure what had happened. "I have to say I didn't see that coming."
