PG Mayor Fires New Staff Member

PRAIRIE GROVE — The person hired two and a half months ago to eventually become the city’s director of administrative services and public works was relieved of his duties Monday, according to Mayor Sonny Hudson.

Prairie Grove City Council went into executive session Monday night and when it reconvened in public, Hudson announced that Simon Wiley was no longer employed by the city.

After the council meeting, Hudson said he met with Wiley that morning and told him it was not working out. Hudson said he asked Wiley to turn over any c i tyissued items.

“When I hired him, I said we’ll look at this and see how it’s going,” Hudson said. “It was obvious it was not going to work.”

He did not elaborate further.

According to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, an executive session is a private meeting of a governing board for the purpose of discussing the employment status of an individual staff member.

Wiley started Jan. 2 so he could work alongside Larry

Oelrich, director of administrative services and public works, before he retires in August. Oelrich started in the city’s public works department in 1979. He’s served in his current position since 1984.

Hudson said he would revisit the applications he received for the position and review candidates he interviewed for the job.

“If that doesn’t work out, we’ll advertise again,” Hudson said.

The city received 24 applications for the position. Hudson and Oelrich conducted the first round of interviews, and Hudson brought in two candidates for a second round of interviews. Wiley’s salary was $73,000 a year.

Wiley