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Forest Park mayor vetoes police chief termination; council fails to overturn
Summary
Mayor Ellison vetoed the council's termination of Police Chief Brandon Chris under city charter section 2.32B, saying the issues were administrative and did not justify removal; council moved to reinstate him but failed to secure the four votes needed to override the veto.
Mayor Gwen Ellison on June 1 announced she was exercising veto authority under section 2.32B of the Forest Park charter to block the council's termination of Police Chief Brandon Chris, arguing the record pointed to administrative reporting errors rather than intentional misconduct.
Ellison said the termination skipped progressive discipline and warned that reversing investigative decisions while an inquiry remains active could create liability and safety risks. "Unless the investigator has closed the investigation and concluded there is no imminent threat," she said during her veto statement, "the city council is not qualified to determine when conditions are safe." (Mayor Ellison)
The council responded by moving to reinstate Chief Chris and to override the veto. After debate over procedure and a contentious roll call, the clerk read recorded votes showing no votes to overturn the veto and one abstention: Council member James — abstain; Council member Gun — no; Council member Gutierrez — no; Council member Akens Wales — no; Council member Mir — no. That tally meant the motion to override failed and the mayor's veto remained in effect.
Public comment before the council included multiple speakers who urged reinstatement and criticized the process that led to the chief's removal. Dwayne Thomas said the matter "is now about fairness, consistency, transparency, public trust," and called for answers. Carl Evans urged officials to stop wasting taxpayer money on what he called "wrongful terminations." (Dwayne Thomas; Carl Evans)
Council members who opposed reinstatement pointed to the charter and to differing legal interpretations of whether the council's prior vote constituted a resolvable "resolution" subject to veto. City attorney Metric Cardi provided a legal opinion during the meeting that the mayor's veto authority applied; other council members disputed that reading and said the question could ultimately be resolved in court.
What happens next: Because the override motion failed at the June 1 meeting, the mayor's veto stands. Council members and residents suggested legal action or judicial review as the next avenue for challenging the veto; no court action had been filed in the meeting record.
