Submitted PhotoMarion Police Chief Randall Davis, from left, Assistant Chief Arthur Hopson and Mayor Larry Gill stand for a photo Tuesday at Marion Town Hall.

Marion aldermen are creating two new positions as the town works to adjust its staffing to meet the needs of a growing community.

In a meeting Tuesday, the Board of Aldermen approved the creation of Assistant Police Chief and Government Affairs Director positions.

Mayor Larry Gill said the government affairs director will serve as a facilitator helping the mayor and Board of Aldermen make their plans for the town a reality.

“Their job is to make sure that we move forward with the projects that we have on the table,” he said.

The government affairs director duties will also include researching grant funding opportunities, Gill said, and report back to the mayor and Board of Aldermen on possible funds. With much of the town’s leadership holding down full-time jobs in addition to their municipal duties, he said someone to stay on top of the town’s projects was needed.

“Their job is just to make these projects and things like that that we have on the table happen,” he said.

The Board of Aldermen approved hiring Greg Cole to serve as the first government affairs director at a salary of $18,000. Cole, who has a background in business, said he would use his experience as a business owner to help the Town of Marion continue to grow.

Hopson named Assistant Chief

Also on Tuesday the Board of Aldermen appointed long-time Marion Police Officer Arthur Hopson to be the town’s first Assistant Police Chief. Hopson has served with the department for over 20 years.

Gill said the creation of the Assistant Chief position was part of a larger effort to improve upward mobility of police officers within the department.

“It’s something that’s needed. It’s going to be a moral booster for the guys,” he said. “They now have the opportunity to corporal, sergeant because those people are going to move up in these positions.”

The new positions, Gill said, will give officers tangible goals to work toward to advance their careers.

“They can work into something instead of just getting something,” he said. “That’s what we’re trying to do with the Assistant Chief position.”