Fort Walton Beach Council minutes — 09-17-1968 Special — reading text

including me) could be of any help in this case. Furthermore, Chief Williams stated that he was going to seek employment elsewhere. At that time I expressed disappointment to 9hief Williams in his total lack of desire to work out the problems. I further stated that this situation could in fact be resolved if dili- gent effort were applied from both sides. I also expressed belief that without efforts to ease this situation his ulti- mate alternative would be to resign if he could not get along with his employer. I stated the example of General Douglas Macarthur refusing to obey orders or get along with the State Department and the President, regardless of the good job he may have been doing. The Presidentls only choice was to replace him! It is my opinion that Chief Williams has been led into this attitude by a small minority of people who are unfriendly to our present city government. The responsibility of explain- ing to the citizens of Fort Walton Beach why he could not get along with Mr. Walker rests entirely with Chief Williams. In accordance with Article 16 of the City Charter, Councilmen are forbidden by law from participating in the hiring or firing of the Chief of Police. I would like to go on record, however, as being in favor of studying the feasibility of placing this job under a Civil Service Board. let say if anything is proved to be wrong in our city me government in any capacity, I want to be the first to know about it and assure the citizens of Fort Walton Beach I will be glad to speak out at that time. To paraphrase Lincoln, I desire so to conduct the affairs of this nation ( city) that if I lose every friend on earth, I shall have one friend left-- and that is the friend down inside me."  185 MR. Mr. Killingsworth made the following statement in addition KILLINGSWORTH to the one previously made: Mr.Williams made the following statement: " Did you hear about a shooting incident involving Winston Walker at his motel and they had to take him to Pensacola and have the shots picked out?". I When I asked Chief Williams if he could prove this, " he stated if Winston Walker fires me I will tell this and put him in the penitentiary. He then made another statement, Did you know about Winston Walker buying the pipe for the contractor for the job near the Mansfield Motel and receiving a large sum of money for kickbacks, which was divided between some of the councilmen? After a thorough investigation into the matter I failed to find any evidence of any mishandling of the contract or improper personal actions of Mr. Walker. Mr. Williams said when Mr. Walker had him to put the police decal on his car that he was very unhappy about this and resented it very much. He also said he was very displeased over Mr. Walker forbidding him from going outside the City lirni ts in his speaking engagements. Chief Williams not only had the idea of running for Sheriff but said that was his stepping stone to run for Congress when Congressman Sikes steps down. R. F. It waS apparent that he intended to let nothing get in his way to hinder that goal. He also stated that he was having a terrific problem with some of the people at the Playground Daily News. I would like to: say to the citizens of Fort Walton Beach that I welcome Grand Jury Investigation or any other investiga- a tion. We have a clean city government and we want to keep it that way. Vicious rumors with no proof are certainly not welcomed by me. Ilm sure we will continue to grow and stay honest with the help of all citizens. This is your city. We appreciate your criticism; this healthy, but we need your confidence. I can assure you that you are going to have good law enforce- ment in our city. Mr. Walker kept every Councilman informed of the power struggle he was having with Chief Williams. I I wholeheartedly support Mr. Walker in his action to remove Mr. Williams as Chief of Police. WINSTON I hereby authorize and request Mr. Ster~ Killingsworth to WALKER to publish publicly the foregoing statements. September 16, 1968 Winston G. Walker City Manager 186 Mayor Brown recognized Councilman Guidry who read the MAYOR following statement: BROWN JOSEPH ~v. In view of the many statements made relating to the case of GUIDRY Mr. Jimmy Williams, former Police Chief of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, I desire to make the following statement: As an elected Counci1man, I am well aware of my responsibil- ities to serve the voters of Fort Walton Beach. I am also aware of the Council Charter which places the responsibility for the hiring and firing of city employees on the City Manager. In spite of this part of the Charter, there has never been any reluctance on my part to discuss such matters with the Ci ty Nanager. 1anager kept me fully informed of The City l- the difficulties he was having with Mr. Williams. I know from these discussions that the decision he made in the case of 11r. Williams was not a hasty decision. In my opinion he made the proper decision. While it is true that the Oity Charter technically gives the City Nanager wide latitude in the administration of the City, it is also true that he must be responsive to the elected members of Council. Let me assure you that as an elected Councilman, I have dis- cussed items with the City Manager when I disagreed with his policies. Let me further assure you that at any time I feel his administration is wrong, I will not hesitate to so inform him. Approximately nine months ago, I called the Police Department asking for information concerning an automobile accident. I was not furnished theinformation, and it waS apparent that our Department was so disorganized that I couldn' t Police even find a responsible person in charge, including the former Chief Williams. I then informed the City Manager of the dis- organized condition of the Police Department, and that as a member of Council I thought we had hired an expert to keep this kind of situation from developing. The City Manager in- formed me then that he waS having administrative troubles with the Police Chief, and was attempting to correct them. In case of Mr. Williams, I support the action of the City mnager. This support is based on a careful evaluation of all the facts of the matter available to me. Joseph W. Guidry City Councilman  187 YOR Yl! Mayor Brown recognized Councilman Long who read the follQWing statement: C . H. LONG If our city manager had no reason for asking for the resignation of the Police Chief other than his refusal to follow orders and to co- operate with other departments of the City, the Manager had the right and the duty to discharge this employee. I believe that there were many other reasons I for asking for this man' s resignation. I only be certain of the instances which have come to can my personal attention. On May 17, 1968, while I was in the office of Police Chief Williams, he asked me to read two letters, both offering him law enforcement positions in other areas. It was apparent to me, therefore, that this man had sought employment elsewhere. Ny personal dealings with Mr. Williams have been very limited. On one occasion he told me that a Fort Walton Beach citizen not cormected with the city government was secret;Ly meeting a former member of the police force for immoral purposes. I felt then and feel now that Mr. Williams was improper in making such statements. If they were true, he should have brought proper charges. If untrue, they of course damaged irmocent parties. I also feel that one of the main reasons he would not place a decal, visible siren and flashing light on his city auto- mobile waS his desire to privately observe the actions of people without disclosing that they were under police sur- veillance. I do not feel that Fort Walton Beach needs this type