COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. (WMC) – A longtime Collierville Fire Department battalion chief is suing the Town of Collierville and former Town Administrator Molly Mehner in federal court, claiming he was fired in retaliation for speaking with the mayor about department safety and leadership concerns.
Former Battalion Chief Bobby Cannon, who served with the department from January 2000 until October 2025, alleges in a complaint filed Oct. 13 that his firing was First Amendment retaliation and a violation of Tennessee’s Public Employee Political Freedom Act of 1980.
Cannon argues he spoke as a private citizen, while off-duty, to an elected official about a matter of public concern, and that state law bars public employers from prohibiting or punishing job-related communication with elected officials…