The Monroe City Council is intensifying pressure on Mayor Friday Ellis to appoint a new fire chief, six months after the retirement of former Chief Terry Williams in November 2024. The prolonged vacancy has sparked concerns about leadership stability in the Monroe Fire Department, which maintains a prestigious Class 1 fire rating.
In November 2024, the council rejected the mayor’s nomination of Daniel Overturf, who ranked 10th out of 17 applicants on the Civil Service Exam.
The council’s African-American majority, known as the “Brown Bombers,” had advised the mayor last year that, given the city’s white police chief, they…
