Mobile City Council appoints Curtis Graves as public-safety director and approves new fire chief

The Mobile City Council voted Nov. 18 to appoint Curtis Graves as executive director of public safety and to confirm a new chief for the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department.

Mayor Jared Gattis introduced Graves as "a seasoned public safety professional with 32 years of experience," praising his background in investigations, crisis intervention, community engagement and data-driven crime reduction. The council moved, seconded and approved the appointment after brief remarks of congratulations.

Council members, including District representatives, welcomed Graves and said they look forward to working with him on youth-violence prevention and other public-safety priorities. "We know that you will definitely move us forward in terms of youth violence and the other challenges that we face," one council member said during the meeting.

The council also approved the appointment listed on the agenda as "Appoint Barry Glesson as chief of the Mobile Fire and Rescue Department." Several council members offered congratulations. The meeting transcript contains multiple spellings for the chief's name ("Barry Lisonbee," "Barry Glesson," and "Barry Glisson"); the council's action on the agenda item was approval following a motion and second.

The mayor noted other recognitions during his remarks, including presentation of officer and firefighter of the month awards. Chief Jackson presented Detective Xavier Lopez as officer of the month for October, citing a roughly 62% case-clearance rate for assigned cases in October and recovered property valued at about $5,000, and another presentation recognized Captain Mark Stewart for long service and hazmat and USAR responsibilities.

The council did not record individual roll-call votes for these appointments in the public oral record; the motions were approved by voice vote at the meeting and were announced as passed.