Surprisingly Similar Complaints from Sheffield & Lexington

After an article in the TimesDaily last week referenced Dewey King as both fire chief and public safety director in Sheffield, one of our regular readers asked us how this was not a conflict of interest. In other words, Public Safety Director King supervises Fire Chief King. In his role as head of public safety, King also supervises the police and the building departments. This arrangement has been in place since 2014.

We'll guess that if any complaints were filed against the fire department, they would go directly to the mayor/council and not the office of public safety. We're also guessing that Chief King is close to retirement. At that time, these positions may be filled by two separate individuals. 

If any of our readers have had problems resulting from this arrangement, please contact us. Remember, Sheffield is a very small and relatively land-locked town; its needs may not be the same as a city the size of Florence.

A Lexington parent has contacted us asking if it's legal or ethical for Todd Davis to serve as both principal and athletic director:

We're not sure how it could be considered illegal. Unethical? How would Principal Todd Davis reprimand Athletic Director Todd Davis? Another sticky wicket.

The parent who reported this declined to mention a specific problem before we answered his question. If there are parents out there who feel this arrangement isn't in the best interest of the students, please offer an example of a negative outcome, and we'll quiz the board on it.

We can understand how some parents don't wish to file formal complaints due to fear of retaliation, but this is the most direct way to get answers. Remember, the Lauderdale County Board of Education doesn't answer parents' questions much more quickly than it doesn't answer ours. Feel free to read that last sentence again - it wasn't a typo.