Ridgeway police officer James Ashford was promoted to Chief of Police last week during a special called meeting by Ridgeway Town Council.

On Thursday night, the council voted unanimously to appoint Ashford to the town’s top law enforcement position. The meeting was scheduled a week after the council’s regularly scheduled meeting, where the council decided to keep Ashford as the town’s only police officer.

Ashford’s 90-day probational period ended in December, but the council waited until its first meeting of the year to hold his review.

Following the vote, Mayor Pro Tem Donald Prioleau, scolded his fellow council members for not appointing Ashford to chief during its Jan. 14 meeting.

“I don’t see why we hesitated this long,” Prioleau said. “I don’t understand why we had to have a called meeting. He should have been promoted at the last meeting.”

Prioleau, along with council members Robert Hartman and Rufus Jones, voted against entering into executive session Thursday night to discuss Ashford’s promotion. Mayor Charlene Herring and council member Doug Porter voted in favor of the motion. The mayor said she wanted to enter into executive session to discuss salary and insurance information.

Jones, who made the motion to promote Ashford from the position of officer to chief, questioned the need of an executive session since everyone knew the purpose of the called meeting.

“He is the best man for the job,” Jones said. “He does his job, he does not take advantage of his badge, nor does he see black or white.”

Ashford is Ridgeway’s second black Police Chief.

Chiming in on how professional Ashford has been since he was fired in September, Hartman commended him on how well he handled the town’s annual Pig on the Ridge in November as well as how well he gets along with the citizens of Ridgeway.

“He gets along better with the community than any other police chief we’ve had,” Hartman said.

Standing on the steps of Ridgeway’s Town Office Center, Ashford took a few minutes after the meeting to once again thank the council for naming him chief of his hometown’s police department.

“I love the citizens and the town of Ridgeway, and I always will,” he said.

Ashford begin his career in law enforcement with the Ridgeway Police Department in 1979. In 1986, he went to work as a public safety office for the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Mental Retardation in Columbia. While in Columbia, he also served with the Capitol Police at the Governor’s Mansion.

Ashford is the town’s only law enforcement employee. The council hopes to hire a full-time officer in the future, depending on the budget, Herring said. Currently, the town has a contract with a security person to work as needed.