Jason Rickels received a strong ‘welcome’ of sorts from his former boss when he returned to sign paperwork to go back to work.

Rickels, the former Tarrant fire chief, is officially back in charge following a second ruling from the Jefferson County Personnel Board ordering him reinstated, but over the objections of the mayor.

Mayor Wayman Newton made his feelings about the chief’s return clear in a videotaped encounter.

“Welcome back. I want to thank you,” Newton said Thursday, walking into an office as Rickels sat at a desk. “You’re going to actually help me get elected. Folks don’t want a racist fire chief. You’re pulling out guns and stuff, so.”

The town of about 6,000 people is just northeast of Birmingham. Newton is seeking a second term in the August city elections.

Newton, who was already at odds with Rickels, fired him in April 2021 after the chief was arrested near Atlanta in an altercation with a realtor and camera person at a home he owned. The realtor and camera person are black, while Rickels is white. The criminal charges were later dropped.

The encounter at Tarrant City Hall Thursday was caught on the surveillance cameras that are mounted in offices throughout the building.

Once Newton walked out, a woman in the office asked Rickels to leave the office, saying the mayor didn’t want him there. Rickels then packed his paperwork, thanked the woman and left.

Newton, on Friday dismissed the video as an attempt to cause controversy. He said he stands by his statements to Rickels.

“Unlike some politicians, I don’t say one thing in private and another in public. I speak the truth at all times,” he said. “As I have been saying at every council meeting for the past three months, Jason Rickels should not return to Tarrant in any capacity due to his documented history of racial animosity and misogynistic incidents involving citizens.”

Scott Morro, Rickels’ attorney, called Newton’s comments to his client blatant harassment.

“He’s creating a hostile work environment,” Morro told AL.com. “The bottom line is he’s confrontational.”

The fire chief and mayor have previously had heated public exchanges, but Rickels said nothing during the latest confrontation.

Tarrant in recent years is noted for its contentious town meetings featuring heated exchanges between the mayor, the council and the public.

As of now, Tarrant has two fire chiefs and a decision to make about how to pay its way out of the impasse.

Rickels recently sued the city demanding immediate payment of nearly half a million dollars in back pay. Rickels has said he wants the city to pay him, and if that happens, he’ll go away without attempting to lead the department.

The city council is expected to meet again Monday evening.