There is conflict in the City of Selma, and it needs to stop.

Assistant Police Chief Robert Jacobs submitted his letter of retirement on Dec. 15 after 30 years on the job

Those consequences will fall not just on an employee or department of the city, but on all Selmians.

Perkins said Jacobs’ &uot;retirement under duress&uot; stemmed from a series of events involving Lt. Bill Hamner. Hamner is currently in the process of appealing a 10-day suspension given by Perkins. On Tuesday City Attorney Jimmy Nunn and Hamner’s attorney Henry Pitts squared off in council chambers for 90 minutes until it was decided to postpone Hamner’s suspension.

Citizens of Selma could say the same thing.

No one wants to see the conflict current events are causing in our city. At the end of the day all of Selma suffers. We need industry to come to our area. We need safe streets and a city that works together for the betterment of all citizens.

We need things to change. Fast.

The Selma City Council is scheduled to meet today at 3 p.m. in a special called session. According to Perkins, Jacobs will discuss good name and character issues, which led to his retirement.

We trust our city can persevere through these troubles and resolve the conflicts of the day. We hope they are willing to keep its doors open when they discuss the city’s business and not scamper into another executive session as they hammer out a solution.

This isn’t just our city government’s business; it’s our business. We need to be informed.

And we need those doors open.