Roberts v. Town of Jonesboro

_|_1The Town of Jonesboro appeals a judgment finding that its mayor improperly removed its fire chief, David Roberts, by failing to obtain the formal approval of the board of aldermen before appointing the new fire chief,1 and awarding Roberts damages of $36,639.93 in spite of a release executed by the parties. We reverse and render.

Factual and Procedural Background

Roberts had been Jonesboro’s fire chief for several years. In January 2007, the newly elected mayor, Leslie Thompson, got the board of aldermen to name Rob*1047erts formally to the post, which paid $31,000 a year. In 2011, however, when…