SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – After a failed attempt to fire South Pittsburg police Chief Robert “Bobby” Simpson last month, newly elected Mayor Virgil Holder succeeded on his second try.
Holder’s effort to remove Simpson at the South Pittsburg City Commission’s December meeting failed on a 2-2 vote. Just moments after being sworn in as mayor in December, Holder made a motion to fire Simpson, saying the city was ready to move in a different direction.
Vice Mayor Paul Don King would have cast the deciding vote last month, but he missed the meeting because of medical issues.
King was present at the board’s January meeting, which meant the end of Simpson’s tenure in South Pittsburg.
“After 30 days of observing and looking at how our South Pittsburg Police Department is operating, I still remain with the same belief [that Simpson should be fired],” Holder said, without giving any specific reasons for his stance.