BEAUMONT — Beaumont City Council made history Tuesday when it appointed a former Beaumont firefighter to be the first African-American fire chief in the city's history.
"I’m humbled," said White. "I’m humbled that first off that the members of the community and the members of the actual Beaumont fire department think enough of me to invest in me as their leader."
Council members confirmed the appointment of Earl White as fire chief at Tuesday's meeting.
A committee appointed by city manager Kyle Hayes interviewed 13 candidates, on April 13, 2018, culled from more than 80 applications received for the job according to the agenda.
The committee decided that White, who is currently the Jefferson County Precinct 1 constable, was the best for the job the agenda said.
White became constable in March of 2016 after beating one-term incumbent Nick Saleme in the Democratic Primary.
White was set to run unopposed in the regular election because no Republicans were seeking the office.
Prior to becoming constable White was a longtime arson investigator and firefighter with Beaumont Fire Rescue.