BRYANT — Minutes after being sworn in as the new mayor of Bryant, Jill Dabbs appointed former Bryant police officer Mark Kizer as the city’s interim police chief.
“I talked to a lot of people in central Arkansas, and they gave me their recommendations, and Chief Kizer was named several times,” Dabbs said in an interview on Monday.
The mayor noted that Kizer, who is also a three-term member of the Saline County Quorum Court, was recommended by Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Ken Casady.
“I love public service,’ Kizer said. “It is where my heart is.”
Kizer has 17 years of law enforcement experience, including four years as a member of the Bryant Police Department. From 1993 until 2008 he was a patrol Sergeant at Bryant. Before that he was with the Saline County Sheriff’s Office.
The mayor said the new chief has been working for a law enforcement supply company for “the last few years.”
“In addition to Chief Kizer’s law enforcement experience,” Dabbs said, “he offers the citizens of Bryant strong administrative, personnel and community skills.”
When the mayor decides to conduct a search for the permanent chief, Kizer will be one of the candidates, she said.
“I am certain that he will be one of the candidates,” she said. “He told me he intended to apply for the job.”
Dabbs said the search for a permanent police chief will be “a broad search” that would probably begin after she has been in office for about six months.
“He has hit the ground running,” Dabbs said of Kizer. “He has brought some innovative ideas.”
She did not go any further into what those ideas were.
“I have the utmost confidence and trust that interim Chief Kizer will serve the citizens of Bryant with the sound leadership that is expected from this office,” Dabbs said.
Following Dabbs’ election, Bryant Police Chief Tom Coffman resigned. He said in his resignation announcement that he expected to be dismissed by the new mayor.
“I know there were a lot of rumors before I started,” Kizer said. “But everybody has welcomed me and they have been very receptive since I got here and started meeting with people.”
Kizer’s first act was to move his office to the first floor of the police headquarters.
“I wanted to make the office more people friendly and accessible,” he said. “I moved all the support staff, the captains and lieutenants to the first floor.”
Kizer said he would meet with all patrol sergeants this week and the administrative staff next week.
After her inauguration, Dabbs also said her first priority was an assessment of “each facet of our city government, including all departments and personnel.”
Dabbs had a meeting with all department heads on Monday morning and said they discussed the needs of the different city departments and what they wanted to accomplish in the future.
“The directors had recommendations on how to improve services to the city residents,” she said.
The mayor said she would follow up with individual meetings with each department head to gather more information.
“This assessment is to insure that there is a positive culture of cooperation among all city employees to serve the citizens, much as if they were striving for a five-star rating,” Dabbs said.
Dabbs said she was not looking to fire employees.
“Absolutely not,” she said. “I want to assure them I am not on a head hunt.”
Most city employees serve in their jobs at the pleasure of the mayor.
“It is my hope that we will embrace improvements and new ideas and cooperate with each other to the fullest extent possible to better serve you,” she said in her address after her inauguration.
Dabbs said she would also review the 2011 budget.
“I will work diligently with each department head to examine our current budget,” she said in the statement. “This will help us gain insight as to where the city can cut spending and increase productivity, resulting in a more fiscally responsibility local government.”
Dabbs ran for mayor of Bryant even as she sued the city, claiming the mayor and City Council have raised water rates without with proper review. The suit was dropped after her election as she said she would make sure rates received the required review.