Controversy surrounds Keller fire marshal’s retirement announcement
Keller Fire Marshal Debra Crafton gave notice of her retirement on June 23, a decision her attorney said was the result of frustration over how her discrimination complaints against the city have been handled. City Manager Aaron Rector, however, denies the discrimination allegations, saying he only encouraged Crafton to soften her approach when dealing with the public.
Crafton’s retirement is effective July 4.
Keller allegations made early this year
In January, Crafton, who has worked in Keller since 2007 and has served as fire marshal since 2014, accused Rector of attempting to push her out of her job. According to the complaint, Crafton believed Rector wanted her to prioritize business and development interests over strict enforcement of fire code. Crafton additionally believed Rector wanted her gone because she’s a woman.
City of Keller Human Resources Director Marcia Reyna and her office investigated the claims but found no merit, according to a post-investigation report sent to Crafton in February. In that report, Rector denied that he wanted Crafton gone and denied that he had issues with her because of her gender.
“Since becoming Interim City Manager, I have heard comments from developers, both directly and from Council Members, that our Fire Prevention division is hard to work with and has a stricter interpretation of the fire code than neighboring cities,” Rector is quoted as saying in the report.
In his statements to human resources, Rector said he wanted to change “the customer approach, not the staff, to improve the Division’s reputation.”
In response to Crafton’s human resources complaint, Rector noted a couple of incidents when Crafton allegedly could have been more flexible:
- A resident erected a large tent on their property for a special event. A fire permit was required, which the company providing the tent said it tried to obtain from the Fire Prevention Division but received no response. After the tent was up, Crafton issued a citation, which Rector’s office eventually rescinded. Rector said, “while it is in the Fire Marshal’s purview to write a citation, it does not mean they are required to write a citation.”
- During construction of a new development at 1241 Keller Pkwy., Crafton enforced “a stricter requirement than the code,” according to Rector, when she requested that an additional fire access point be added to the rear of the property. Adding the additional access point would have been cost prohibitive, according to the developer. It turned out the second access point wasn’t required to meet fire code.
In April, Crafton and her attorney, David Schleicher, filed a discrimination and retaliation complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission. They followed that with a complaint to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in May. As of June 25, those complaints were still pending.
Strong performance, but communication questioned
Going back to 2007, when she became a Keller fire inspector, Crafton has received high marks on her annual performance reviews. Her level of service was regularly deemed “outstanding.” But while her communication skills always met or exceeded expectations, there were two years — 2011 and 2012 — when Crafton’s supervisor said she could have been more empathetic or sympathetic when dealing with the public.
“While you are open and transparent in your interactions with all customers, and you are articulate, clear and concise,” the evaluation comment read, “you do not always exhibit a positive and professional manner. You come across as short and almost offended when people do not automatically do the right thing.”
No disciplinary actions were ever taken against Crafton, but Schleicher said Keller city officials eventually prohibited her from writing code enforcement citations and second-guessed her decisions. Crafton felt Rector further undermined her by allegedly demanding she run all external communications through Tatum.
Rector denied that, saying he had spoken to now-retired Keller Fire Chief Bobby Tatum, and that Tatum had only asked Crafton to discuss with him any fire code enforcement decisions that were “politically sensitive” and might result in a complaint to the city manager, the City Council or the mayor’s office.
Schleicher outlined Crafton’s complaints during a grievance hearing at the May 2 Keller City Council meeting. During his comments, Schleicher said Crafton was retaliated against in part for being too “strict” when it came to her interpretation of fire code and its enforcement.
Rector responding by saying his “philosophy is that we should guide developers, business owners and residents through our processes and prioritize compliance over citations when appropriate.”
The City Council voted 7-0 to deny Crafton’s grievance.
A phone message for Crafton was not immediately returned.
In a statement to the Star-Telegram, Rector said he’s tried to make it easier for residents, businesses and developers to work with the city of Keller.
“That includes finding a better balance between enforcing city codes and providing great customer service,” said Rector. “We’ve made real progress in other departments, and I was hoping for the same with Fire Prevention. Unfortunately, Chief Crafton perceived those conversations as a barrier to performing her duties rather than the collaborative effort they were meant to be. While I’m pleased that City Council upheld the HR investigation’s findings that there is no merit to these accusations, I’m disappointed this has become so contentious.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 1:43 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the building that Crafton said needed an additional fire access point.