The City of Conroe is navigating a transitional phase in its leadership, appointing interim chiefs to helm the police and fire departments following the recent retirements of former Police Chief Jeff Christy and Fire Chief Ken Kreger. According to a report by The Houston Chronicle, Deputy Police Chief Lee Tipton and Assistant Fire Chief Mike Legoudes, Jr. will step into these interim roles.
At a Conroe City Council meeting that took place Thursday night, the sudden retirements, accompanied by the departures of other key figures like Parks and Recreation Director Mike Riggins and Executive Director of the Conroe Economic Development Council Danielle Scheiner, were addressed. The shifts in Conroe’s administration come at the hands of newly inducted Mayor Duke W. Coon, and other council members who, have seemingly endorsed a vision of change since Coon took office in June.
Reflecting on their terms and expressing gratitude to the community, both Christy and Kreger chose brevity in their final public remarks. "I really wasn’t prepared to talk tonight," Christy said, "It’s not really how I wanted to go out but I’m going out and I am proud of what I have done." Kreger shared a similarly succinct sentiment, "All I’ve got to say is I have enjoyed my time here," he told the Houston Chronicle.
However, not all council members were in agreement about the manner in which these leadership changes were enacted. Mayor Coon and council members Howard Wood and Harry Hardman publicly voiced their dissent. Coon expressed a poignant lack of support for the retirement pushes, stating to attendees, "Your mayor didn’t know this was happening and several other council members didn’t know this was happening," highlighting the absence of a unified front in the process. Despite this, new council members Shana Arthur and David Hairel, who were responsible for placing the contentious agenda item, insisted that all proper procedures were adhered to.
"I have no ill will toward any of these employees," Arthur stated, assuring that the actions were part of a promised pursuit of change, while Hairel reaffirmed his commitment to making tough decisions for the betterment of the city, as reported by Click2Houston. The council also agreed to pay out the contractual payments of the retiring officials, although the exact amounts have yet to be disclosed.
