Mayor fired city employee, the council brought him back, then she fired him again

The city of Clay is heading toward another legal showdown, scheduling a second appeals hearing following the highly contentious termination of a city employee. The ongoing saga involves Mayor Jane Anderton, who has fired City Building Inspector Hunter Merola twice in recent weeks.

A Repeated Termination

The conflict began earlier this month when Anderton initially fired Merola. The city council stepped in, effectively overriding the move and reinstating him, only for the mayor to terminate his employment a second time shortly thereafter. Anderton has cited "insubordination" and a lack of proper credentials as the primary drivers behind her decision to let the building inspector go.

Merola has taken to social media to contest the mayor's actions, sharing videos of their interactions and raising questions regarding his status and an outstanding criminal charge. "I have been terminated for a second time by Mayor Jane Anderton, despite the council’s ruling that my initial termination was to be treated as a suspension and I was entitled to return to work," Merola stated in a Facebook post.

Public Safety Concerns

During a Center Point Fire District board meeting on Monday, Anderton defended her stance, emphasizing that the city’s building inspection standards are a matter of public safety. She referenced an April 28 visit from a representative of the International Organization for Standardization, which audited the city's building code enforcement program.

"The city was informed that our building inspector did not hold International Code Council credentials, that we had no formal inspection plans, that no additional training had been completed that year and no funds were budgeted for that training," Anderton told the board. She added that the city is committed to ensuring its staff is fully certified and properly trained moving forward.

The Ongoing Dispute

The administrative tug-of-war has been well-documented. Following an initial termination in early May, reports from the Trussville Tribune confirm the council voted unanimously on May 26 to reinstate Merola after an appeals hearing.

The situation escalated again when Merola shared video footage of Anderton firing him again after he refused to sign new paperwork without consulting an attorney. The arrest warrant mentioned in local reports stemmed from an issue involving a city vehicle that was not returned on time following repairs.

As the city navigates this internal conflict, the council has set a new hearing date for Merola on June 16, with the next scheduled council meeting to follow on Tuesday, June 23.