NORFOLK, Va. — Multiple people called for the Norfolk City Manager's termination on Tuesday night.
A packed city council meeting came after a surprise announcement last week that Hampton Police Chief Mark Talbot will take over in Norfolk next month.
After a yearlong search, City Manager Chip Filer hired Talbot, even though he was not one of the three finalists.
Many of the people who spoke during Tuesday's council meeting said the process lacked transparency and the city has lost the trust of the people because of it.
However, they said they do not necessarily have a problem with Talbot himself. They say the problem lies within the process used to hire him.
Norfolk NAACP President Stacie Armstead led the call tonight for City Manager Chip Filer’s termination.
"The Norfolk Branch NAACP No. 7098 has no confidence in the integrity and the validity of the selection process for the new chief of police," she told members of council.
Armstead asked people who support their call to stand up and most of the room did, including Councilman JP Paige.
Talbot did not apply for the job initially. He instead served as one of five panelists that interviewed the finalists for the job.
But after spending $35,000 of taxpayer money on the search firm, Filer said during last week's press conference he didn’t feel the right candidate was in the room.
"After having all three of the finalists in front of us, [I] didn't know frankly if the right person was in that pool," he said at the time.
Talbot ultimately applied for and accepted the position, which led to the outcry Tuesday night.
"We demand that the Norfolk City Council vote to immediately remove Dr. Larry "Chip" Filer from his role as Norfolk City Manager," Armstead said.
Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Guns, senior pastor of Second Calvary Baptist Church, told members of council that Filer has lost the confidence of the community.
"There’s not much that can be done by Dr. Filer to regain the confidence of many of the citizens of Norfolk."
Filer was noticeably absent from the meeting. We’re told he’s on a previously scheduled family trip.
"We are not able to look the person in the eye who made the decision," another speaker said. "I feel that he should be present to bear the concerns, so that he can speak for himself."
Local Attorney Amina Matheny-Willard said she hopes council listens to their concerns.
"On the face of it, it seems like a conflict of interest," she said.
Armstead said at the end of the day, they want the hiring process for the new chief redone.
"There must be a discussion about the power, authority and democratic accountability of the role of the city manager," she said.
After the meeting, we asked Mayor Kenny Alexander if he had a comment, but he walked out of the room simply saying “no.”
Talbot is scheduled to officially start in Norfolk by May 1.