By Buddy Roberts
News-Aegis
Pell City —
Less than a month after he was hired as chief of the Pell City Fire Department, James Golden has declined to accept the post.
“It’s back to the drawing board,” Mayor Bill Hereford said this week after informing the city council of Golden’s decision. “I had a lengthy conversation with him, and he said he was most appreciative of the opportunity, but after considering everything, he just didn’t feel it would work out for him and his family at this time.”
Golden, a Pell City native, was hired by the council on July 13, apparently ending the city’s year-long search for a new fire chief. The council is expected to consider seeking new candidates at its first meeting in August.
Hereford said that a disagreement among council members last week during a work session about how much Golden should be paid “may have been a factor” in his decision, but wasn’t the sole reason. Golden, a training officer with the Alabaster Fire and Rescue Service, was unavailable for comment as of press time.
Jim Parsons, who has served as the PCFD’s interim chief, will continue to serve in that capacity. “I told Jim, ‘You’re the chief until you get relieved,’” the Mayor Hereford said. “We appreciate his willingness to continue to serve. He is most appreciated.”
