| Last Saturday, Clendenin police officer C. L. Burkhammer secured an arrest warrant for Clendenin Mayor Bob Ore for obstructing an officer - Burkhammer himself.
The mayor fired the police officer Monday, with the police officer asking for the mayor's resignation.
The council advised the police officer to ignore his firing.
A Keystone Kops battle royal, symbolic of an old-time slapstick comedy, has become routine for the Elk River town, with the mayor, the police department and the town council at odds.
Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman has now ruled that Ore can hire and fire officers, and his dismissals are legal.
Kaufman ruled Thursday that state law gives the mayor control of the police department.
Ore had fired Burkhammer Monday for "gross insubordination" after the officer swore out a warrant against the mayor over the weekend for obstructing a police officer.
Ore has repeatedly locked horns with Clendenin's town council, a group which the Clay Communicator calls "Oreos."
Ore then sued the council members in Kanawha Circuit Court over his right to hire and fire police leaders.
Residents of the town of 1,000 have also sued members of the town council and the town recorder, alleging that Clendenin's finances have been mismanaged. Those cases are still pending.
According to the state code, a mayor has the superior authority if the town charter doesn't say otherwise.
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