Anderson County is looking for a new Emergency Management Director. Former Director, Mark Locke, was terminated by commissioners at their January 20th meeting, after months of turmoil dating back to his unsuccessful bid in the Republican primary for Anderson County Sheriff. Locke was hired in the fall of 2022, shortly before he was elected to a post as Garnett City Commissioner, which he still holds and will face re-election in the fall of 2025. The most tense issue was an ongoing argument with EMS Director Troy Armstrong that caused the most static among county emergency responders. Rural Fire Coordinator Cruze Gillespie has assumed the Director’s position on an interim basis until commissioners determine what the future will hold for the department. Anderson County Commissioners say they’re exploring possible new configurations of County Emergency Management in the county that could involve sharing a director with one or more additional counties.
One issue which arose immediately were the prospects for an $80,000 infrared enabled drone the department acquired in 2018 with a grant. Gillespie says only two local individuals were trained to pilot the machine, and its software was multiple upgrades behind and at this point could not be flown until those upgrades were completed.
