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Mitchellville fire chief reinstated after lawsuit and council decision
IowaGDELTGDELT event4% biasedThu, May 21, 2026, 12:00 AM
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Mitchellville fire chief reinstated after lawsuit and council decision.Mitchellville fire chief reinstated after lawsuit and council decision Mitchellville Fire Chief Mike Twohey has been reinstated after being fired in March, following a lawsuit and a change in city ordinances."It's been very difficult," Twohey said about being fired.Twohey, who has been a volunteer firefighter in Mitchellville since 1998, was dismissed by Mayor Tony Jensen, who said Twohey was a good firefighter but not a good chief."I'm not questioning his dedication to being a volunteer and all that stuff.I mean, he's been doing that for a long time.That was never my problem.It's his inability to lead properly," Jensen said.The mayor also raised concerns about the fire department's alleged behavior toward others in the community."His fire department was running rampant.His volunteer fire department was harassing and intimidating council members and members of the public," Jensen said.Twohey filed a lawsuit against the city, and new city council members voted to strip the mayor of the power to fire the fire chief.On Monday, the council rehired Twohey."Mike is probably one of the best leaders the city of Mitchellville has," Councilman Steve Zook said.Zook said he ran for city council specifically to help reinstate Twohey."He's been a pillar of the community for 20, 30 years, his entire life.If you ask anybody from Mitchellville, they will say that he's just one of the greatest guys around," Zook said.Twohey expressed gratitude for the council's decision."That tells me that they do have a lot of faith, and I appreciate that," Twohey said.Now back in his role, Twohey said he is ready to serve the community again."We've taken the oath to do our best to protect and help these people.And that means a lot to me," Twohey said.Twohey also confirmed that he will drop his lawsuit against the city now that he has been reinstated.