Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson terminated the employment of two longtime city employees Friday afternoon, which resulted in a resolution being passed by the city council Monday which created a 60-day hiring freeze and required council approval for filling any vacancies in the city.

Gulf Coast Media has confirmed Wilson had fired Public Works Director Jennifer Fidler and Community Affairs Director Sherry Sullivan.

Both had worked for the city of Fairhope for over a decade and sources said neither was given a reason for their termination at the meeting where their firings took place.

Reactions in the community have been swift, and a petition has been started on Change.org asking Wilson and the Fairhope City Council for her resignation from her position as mayor.

The petition states:

“Since taking office in November of 2016, Mayor Wilson has proven she lacks the capacity to lead our dear city.  She has yet to present a 2017 budget; she pushed out a lifelong Fairhope resident and 10+ yr city employee from his job; she has fired two of this town's hardest working and most iconic employees; she has decided there will no longer be cost of living raises for employees and will begin making them pay some or all of their own insurance (this includes first responders and the men and women who work through the cold and especially through the heat to care for our city); she is creating overpaid positions for her friends and pushing out current employees to make room for more friends.

“She simply replaced a ‘good ole boys’ system for a ‘good ole Karin Wilson’ system. Same system, different group of people. She is trying to consolidate all power from the council which would make for a very dangerous and scary situation for our city.

“Please stand up and help save our dear city from her tyranny and torture.”

As of Monday morning, the petition had gathered more than 200 signatures.

Former Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant took to social media to express his view on the firings. Kant had hired both Fidler and Sullivan into the positions they had held.

“I’ve been hoping that the transition of our new mayor and Council would be up a smooth transition,” Kant wrote. “The only reason I am on Facebook tonight it's because Jennifer Fidler and Sherry Sullivan have been the most dedicated employees to the citizens of Fairhope. And for the mayor to just outright fire both tonight it's just unbelievable. My prayers go out to the the city of Fairhope.”

Wilson said her response on the matter would be posted on her official Facebook page.

“Yesterday, I had to make the difficult yet necessary decision to let two department heads go,” Wilson wrote. “Like some of you, I am both hurt and upset. Nevertheless, my commitment to the city is stronger than ever and our talented team will continue to move our city forward.

“The level of transparency you have come to expect from this office will continue, in an effort to keep you engaged with matters that affect your pocketbook and quality of life. However, a response to sensitive matters regarding city employees – current or past – will not and cannot be discussed.”

At a special called council meeting Monday at noon, three members of the Fairhope City Council voted to institute a hiring freeze to keep Wilson from being able to fill any positions while the council reviews what has happened.

Councilman Kevin Boone chaired the meeting and said the council felt this was necessary given the circumstances.

“This resolution places a temporary hiring freeze until the council has a chance to meet with the mayor to discuss these issues,” Boone said.

The resolution has a 60-day effective date, but does not apply to the hiring of police officers, a building inspector or part-time or seasonal workers. Under the resolution, authorized positions can only be filled upon the express approval of the city council.

Wilson said she felt the actions being taken by the council were unprecedented and not lawful.

“Regardless of how you feel personally, the mayor’s job is to run the day to day activities of the city,” Wilson said. “What is happening today, which is unprecedented, would be the legislative side trying to strip me of that power. Even if just for 60 days, this is more a power struggle than it is an administrative concern.”

Two council members, Council President Jack Burrell and Councilman Jay Robinson, were not present for the meeting. All of the council members present voted in favor of the resolution.

Wilson said she hoped to reach out to the council members to explain her decision on the firings and try to work with them to affect a positive solution for the city.

Wilson said she was also exploring her legal options as to whether or not she could veto the resolution.

“If I am able to do so, I certainly will veto this,” Wilson said.