Carter names Butch Inks as St. Paul's interim fire chief

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced Friday that Butch Inks is his choice to lead the St. Paul Fire Department as interim chief.

Inks will succeed Acting Fire Chief Matthew Simpson, who took the helm when former chief Tim Butler resigned in October after a city reprimand against him went public.

Inks started in his role Saturday. He began with the Fire Department in 1994 as a firefighter and before that worked for the city's Parks and Recreation Department. He's a retired Air Force veteran.

The St. Paul City Council has created a 20-member committee to pick the next fire chief.

Inks is "well positioned to lead the department as interim fire chief," Carter said in a news release. He has held positions including rescue squad captain, fire equipment operator and community relations chief, and he helped with the department's racial equity plan.

Inks grew up in the Rice Street and Como area of St. Paul and graduated from Como Park High School. He's working on a degree in business management at the University of Northwestern.

"My goal as interim fire chief is to build relationships within the community, city departments and within our fire department," Inks said. "With strong relationships, we can all move forward in our goal of serving all of the people of St. Paul."

Butler stepped down in October after a reprimand against him for employee retaliation was publicly disclosed. It was one of five misconduct complaints against him. He had been fire chief for almost 10 years.

Beena Raghavendran • 612-673-4569