SUFFOLK, Va. - A few employees of the City of Suffolk will soon start new chapters in their careers.
City Manager Patrick Roberts announced Thursday that as a result of recent and upcoming retirements of members of the administrative staff, there have been a number of new appointments.
Starting Monday, June 15, Major Alfred “Al” Chandler will start his position as the Interim Chief of Police for the Suffolk Police Department. He will take the place of Police Chief Thomas Bennett. Major Chandler is a 21-year veteran of the department. In his time on the force, he has served in many capacities, such as: Field Training Officer, SWAT Team Operator, Detective, Crisis/Hostage Negotiator, Violent Crimes Unit Supervisor, School Resource Unit Supervisor and Search and Rescue Team Supervisor.
Major Chandler was a graduate of the 40th Session of the Chesapeake Police Academy, where he was class president. He holds a Master’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University and is a graduate of the West Point Leadership Course, as well as a graduate of the 270th Session of the FBI National Academy.
Police Chief Bennett’s last day in the office was June 10, and his retirement is effective starting August 1. He retired after more than 36 years in law enforcement and served as Suffolk’s police chief for 11 years.
Starting Wednesday, July 1, Albert “Al” Moor will be the city's Interim Deputy City Manager.
Moor is the current Director of Public Utilities and has more than 36 years of progressive municipal government experience. He has served as the Director of Public Utilities for the city since 1995.
Al earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Technology from Old Dominion University. He completed the Senior Executive Institute: UVA Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, the LEAD Program: UVA Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service and AWWA Water Utility Management Institute sponsored by Virginia Tech.
D. Scott Mills, the current Deputy City Manager, will be retiring on June 30 after serving the citizens of Suffolk for 33 years.
Starting Wednesday, July 1 Paul Retel will begin his position as the Interim Director of Public Utilities.
Retel is currently the city's Assistant Director of Public Utilities, a role he has been in for the past three years. As the Assistant Director, he oversees staff in operations, customer service and engineering.
Before Retel's current role, he worked in the municipal utility consulting sector for 29 years, where he worked with a number of municipal utility departments on issues related to the planning, design, operation and maintenance of municipal water and wastewater systems.
In commenting on these appointments, Roberts noted, “I am confident that the above-noted appointments will provide me with the needed support and the specific departments with the experience and expertise needed as we continue to deliver critical services to the citizens of Suffolk. I can’t thank our retirees enough for their public service totaling 69 years, and for the tremendous impact they’ve made to our city.”
