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Abbeville council rejects fire department hire pending clarification, asks chief to recheck application
Summary
Council voted down hiring of a fire department applicant after finding an unanswered question on his application, then approved a motion directing the chief to further investigate and return with a recommendation.
The Abbeville City Council voted down a motion to hire a fire department applicant after members discovered an unanswered question on the application.
During consideration of the agenda item, councilors noted that question No. 1 on page two of Mr. Benois Morvant’s application had not been answered. The applicant responded in the meeting that the answer to that question was “yes.” Despite that clarification, at least four council members voted against the initial motion to hire, and the mayor announced the motion failed on roll call.
Following the failed hire motion, Councilman Campbell and others moved and passed a separate motion directing Chief Doris Long Jr. to follow up with additional interviews and to bring back a recommendation at a subsequent council meeting. In the meeting the mayor framed that follow-up as staff pursuing clarification rather than permanently tabling the application.
Council members emphasized fairness and the need for complete application materials before confirming employment. The follow-up motion passed by roll call; the chief was asked to conduct additional interviews or inquiries and return to council with findings.
The transcript records the initial hire motion as failed and the follow-up inquiry motion as approved; the meeting did not record formal hires for this applicant.
