Lake Wales Manager Forces Police Chief Herb Gillis to Quit
Judy Delmar demands Herb Gillis' resignation, says decision unrelated to strife with minority community..
Published: Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:11 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, February 11, 2011 at 11:11 p.m.
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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Herb Gillis
"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."
That traffic stop, Carter said, created problems with the entire African-American community.
"Yes, there are some issues that haven't been resolved but I don't think they are unresolvable," he said.
City Commissioner Terrye Howell said she also was surprised by the announcement.
"I didn't question it," she said. "But I was shocked. I was not expecting it. I'm assuming he had something larger in mind."
David Smith, president of the local Lake Wales NAACP chapter, said he hoped with Gillis' resignation things in Lake Wales will "come back to where they should be."
Gillis, a Lake Wales native, is married and has three young daughters.
He joined the Lake Wales department in October 1994 as a patrol officer. He was promoted through the ranks and named police chief in July 2004.
He was being paid $76,000 annually as chief.
Assistant Chief Christopher Velasquez was named interim chief Friday, Delmar said, and his pay will be increased about 5 percent to $75,000 a year while he's in that position.
[ Suzie Schottelkotte can be reached at suzie.schottelkotte@theledger.com or 863-533-9070. Mary Hurst can be reached at mary.hurst@newschief.com or 863-421-5577. ]
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