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By Editor Becky Watts
ZEBULON - Pike County Commissioners conducted many interviews during Executive Session last night. Two were interviewed for the Director of the Pike County Senior Center, and three were interviewed for Fire Chief of the Pike County Volunteer Fire Department.
In the end, the decision for the Director of the Pike County Senior Center was not announced, but a decision was announced for the new Fire Chief of the Pike County Volunteer Fire Department.
The Pike County Senior Center
The first two interviews were for the Director of the Pike County Senior Center.
Past Director Patricia Wells resigned June 30, and the county has been accepting applications for this position with interviews being conducted last night.
The choice for this position will be announced at a later meeting.
The Pike County Volunteer Fire Department
Three applicants were interviewed for the position of Fire Chief. A panel had been appointed in June by Rogers to help form an educated choice for the new fire chief through their experience in various fields of public service.
Panel members included Jimmy Totten, Current Pike County EMA Director, Jody Salter, Veterans Ambulance employee who is an active volunteer fire fighter in Pike County, Clay Tillery, Sgt. With Zebulon PD and coroner and volunteer fire fighter in Lamar County, Keith Jackson, an active volunteer fire fighter and current Lt. with the Pike County Fire Department, and Kevin Cress, Captain with the Sheriff’s Office and experienced with 911.
Click here to read the article.
The Interviews
Rogers advised that the Fire Board did not get a chance to meet in person because of COVID. However, Rogers said that he texted and talked to each member prior to last night’s meeting.
They sent him questions that they thought were appropriate to ask as well as what answers they expected to hear back from the candidates in order to give him a good example of what a correct answer is.
Current Interim Fire Chief Wilkerson was appointed after past Fire Chief Rick O’Barr was fired in an Emergency Special Called Meeting on June 1, 2021. Click here to read the article.
Three candidates were interviewed at last night’s meeting: Patrick Kelly, a current member of the Pike County Volunteer Fire Department, Tom Tyree, former Fire Chief for the Pike County Volunteer Fire Department, and Bobby Wilkerson, the Interim Fire Chief.
The Decision
When asked how commissioners came to a consensus for their unanimous decision for Fire Chief, Rogers said that the interview process went really well.
“It worked out really good to do the executive session with interviews so every commissioner go to hear every question and answer and see everyone. I think that is how they came to the consensus.”
Pike County Times asked if there was any one factor that pulled commissioners in the direction of one candidate over the others?
“I would say that the response that the Board has gotten from the community over the past three months has been positive,” he said. “And that is a big thing.”
Closing
Pike County Times contacted Chief Wilkerson today by phone to ask for quote for this article. He called after finishing up on a kitchen fire where, thankfully, there were no injuries.
"I am truly humbled and thankful for opportunity to be the fire chief," Wilkerson said.
"I want to just keep on building the department. It is full of great people who made it easy for me to take the next step to apply as the fire chief."
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