Collierville Closed the Selberg File Without Ever Opening It to the Public
Fire Chief John Selberg resigned August 21, days after being placed on leave. The town released the administrator's memo against him, his own eight-page letter asked for the chance to "correct this situation," a special-called meeting was postponed, and the record closes one-sided, with the town saying only that he served honorably.
Collierville Town Administrator Molly Mehner; and former Collierville Fire Chief John Selberg. Mehner provided new details surrounding the administrative leave that preceded Selberg's Aug. 21, 2026 resignation.
Share
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Town of Collierville's fire chief is out, and the public record of why consists almost entirely of the town's side of the story.
Fire Chief John Selberg resigned and retired Friday, August 21, 2026, FOX13 reported. He had been placed on administrative leave in the second week of August, three days, per FOX13, after submitting an eight-page letter that acknowledged departmental problems and asked for the opportunity to "correct this situation." Assistant Chief Mark Carter, who has served as interim chief since the leave began, continues as acting chief.
The paper trail the public has seen runs one direction. A memo from Town Administrator Molly Mehner, provided to Action News 5 by a town spokesperson while Selberg was on leave, laid out her account: alleged insubordination, including the reported remark "You are not my supervisor," and cited management failures on communication, ambulance procedures, and personnel matters. A special-called meeting at which the memo was to be read was postponed. Selberg's own account has never been publicly aired beyond the existence of his letter, and with his resignation, the proceeding that might have aired it will likely never happen.
Town officials told FOX13 they cannot discuss personnel details publicly and said Selberg "served the Town of Collierville honorably." At a Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, resident Allen Jones said the sequence raised "serious questions about transparency bordering on intimidation," per FOX13.
That is the accountability shape of the thing: a department head removed on documents the town selected for release, a postponed public airing, a resignation, and a closing statement of honor that sits unreconciled with the memo the town itself put into the press.
Why It Matters for Memphis
Collierville is a Shelby County town whose fire department protects tens of thousands of residents, and department-head removals are exactly where suburban governments are least watched. The pattern here, selective document release followed by a quiet exit, is one every town board in the county can now cite as precedent unless someone asks for the rest of the record.
