SICILY ISLAND, La. – On-the-record comments about the recent resignations of the police chief and town clerk — and the firing of a police officer — are as rare as raindrops in this village of 408 people.

Last week, the Town Council accepted the resignations of Police Chief Guy King and Town Clerk Barbara Jackson.

Mayor Anne Wycoff also fired Officer Keith Berry — a trained officer Councilman Tim Ford said had a four-year degree in corrections — explaining only that &uot;things didn’t work out.&uot;

&uot;I would have expected someone to say something about it by now, but I haven’t heard anything,&uot; said Liz Punchard, owner of Liz’s Grocery, a small store on the strip of Louisiana 8 that runs through the heart of town.

&uot;And nobody has the time to go to town meetings to see for themselves what’s going on.&uot;

&uot;Other than who got laid off and who resigned, I haven’t heard much about it, … which is kind of unusual,&uot; said Travis Boulin, co-owner of B&B Rental, a farm supply and hardware shoe a stone’s throw outside the town limits.

Nearby, a woman sitting in a rocking chair read a local weekly newspaper, its front page splashed with the latest news about the town’s employee turnover — but she wouldn’t comment on the issue.

Employees at Town Hall also would not comment and said that Wycoff was too busy Friday to comment but would be glad to schedule an interview for a later date.

But some in the Catahoula Parish town would talk about the turnover.

&uot;Losing three people in such a small town, especially in so short a time, seems kind of strange,&uot;&160;said Kenneth White, whispering as he waited in line at Sicily Island State Bank. &uot;There’s a lot of confusion now about what’s going on.&uot;

&uot;The way they handled that wasn’t right,&uot; said Shirley Cooper, an employee at the Shop-Rite Grocery and Hardware store on Louisiana 15, referring to Berry’s firing.

&uot;You should at least give someone a reason why you fired them,&uot;&160;said Mary Cooper, standing by the grocery’s counter at lunchtime. &uot;It wasn’t decent.&uot;

Councilwoman Excelena Williams said that, to her knowledge, King and Jackson resigned for personal reasons, to pursue other careers.

&uot;We’re all going to miss them,&uot; Williams said. &uot;They both did a great job.&uot;

Williams said the town is working to get the turnover behind it. For now, Wycoff and Assistant Town Clerk Shawaner Lewis are taking over the duties of police chief and town clerk, respectively.

The council has no deadline by which it intends to appointment a new police chief and town clerk but hopes to do so as soon as Wycoff recommends replacements, Williams said.

Meanwhile, Ferriday police dispatcher J.L. George, who has not yet been trained, has been hired as the town’s second police officer.

&uot;As far as Officer Berry was concerned, according to the mayor, things just didn’t work out,&uot; Williams said. &uot;But I&160;don’t know anything else about that.&uot;

Then again, few people do know such details — or will say. &uot;The town,&uot; said resident Earline Dunbar, &uot;is in the dark.&uot;