| After a turbulent couple of weeks, Stanley has appointed Gary Hilton as new fire chief. Former Chief Eric Withers and Deputy Chief Michael Hullett were let go. Hullett was informed via email of the dismissal, and Withers only learned after being texted with the news from another fire fighter. The nature of the dismissal led as many as two dozen of the towns fire fighters to resign in protest. Both the former Chief and Deputy Chief work for the Charlotte Fire Department. |
| “I had absolutely no idea,” Hullett said of the vote to restructure the department. “I’m not mad they replaced us. We need a full-time chief. I would have been more than happy to stand in and help out through a transition period if that had just been communicated. Very unprofessional, the way this was handled.” |
