Livingston Aldermen voted Tuesday night to terminate Jerry Dale Kennedy from his position as the city’s water department supervisor.
Mayor Lori Elder Burnett said Kennedy was caught on camera taking city property home with him. Burnett said she asked Kennedy about the incident and he lied to her twice.
“I am recommending the termination of Jerry Dale Kennedy because we cannot have a supervisor to take public property home and then lie to me about it,” Burnett said. “And the public and I need to be able to trust people who are in supervisory roles with the city.”
Burnett said she gave Kennedy the option to resign from his role. He refused. Burnett said was left with no choice but to recommend the termination to the board of aldermen. Burnett said the water department’s assistant supervisor will step into Kennedy’s role for the immediate future.
“We will have the assistant that will step into the role right now until we can make a plan going forward on hiring another, putting someone in that place as supervisor,” Burnett said.
Burnett said the property Kennedy took has since been returned. Burnett said the problem with Kennedy’s actions was less about the property and more about the dishonesty.
“I kind of hoped we wouldn’t be here making this recommendation tonight,” Burnett said.
The aldermen did not discuss the termination during the meeting, but the motion was approved unanimously.
In other business, aldermen approved a motion to appoint Mark Ogletree II to the planning commission as a replacement for the retiring commissioner, Phillip McCormick.
