He said he wasn't surprised by the council's decision. "To be able to get along with this current administration you've got to give up morals, ethics and basically be a bootlicker. I refuse to do all three," he said. "I'm going to keep my morals, I'm going to keep my ethics, and I can walk out of here a proud man knowing that I never gave in."
Mayor Virgie Thompson was one of the four council members who voted to terminate McAnally. She would not go into detail concerning why McAnally was fired. "I voted what I thought was best for the community," she said.
Thompson did confirm that the only remaining officer at Houston P.D. will be leaving May 6. She said she has already contacted Alaska State Troopers to see if the agency can help assist Houston until the city hires new officers.
"We will start the process that it takes to hire another police officer but it won't be something that we will just jump into," Thompson said. "We will make sure that we do all the proper background checks required to make sure we have a good officer for the city of Houston," she added.
McAnally alleges that the City Council's actions have hurt the community. "They've successfully closed down the PD and now the State Troopers are already stretched thin," he said.
McAnally isn't the first head of the Valley town's police department to be fired by the council.
Sgt. Charlie Seidl was dismissed in March 2010 after allegedly shooting dogs at the local animal shelter without authorization. Seidl, however, claimed that he was ordered to shoot the dogs.
Seidl also said he was fired in retaliation for publicizing a police cruiser's dashboard-camera video in which former Mayor Roger Purcell, who borrowed the vehicle for a trip to Fairbanks, is seen speeding and using its lights to pass traffic.
Purcell resigned in June, shortly before a petition to recall him would have gone before city voters.
Meanwhile, a separate recall effort by dozens of Houston residents against Thompson is moving forward. A recall petition was certified and now the Council will decide when to hold a special election. That issue is expected to be taken up at the council's May 12 meeting.
