Council gets formal notification that police chief will retire in July

Published 9:32 pm Monday, May 11, 2026

QUNCY — The Quincy City Council heard from Adam Yates on Monday that he intends to step down from his position as Quincy’s police chief effective in July.

Yates announced his retirement after 27 years with the department, the last four as chief.

“Stepping away will be difficult. I love being a cop,” Yates said. “I love the city of Quincy, and I have been blessed with many opportunities throughout my career.

Mayor Linda Moore said that having Yates as chief has been one of the things that has made her first year in office go as smoothly as it has.

“I wouldn’t want to be where I’m at now if I didn’t have him where he is,” Moore said. “I don’t know how to replace him.”

Moore said, in her opinion, Yates has set a high bar for whomever is selected to follow him in the job.

“I think he is exactly what we need as a chief of police,” she said. “His leadership in and out of uniform is just so critical, not only the city organization, but to the community overall. He’s going to be deeply missed, and finding someone with his qualifications to succeed him is going to be a very challenging for the Fire and Police Commission.”

As part of Monday’s regular meeting agenda, the council approved a six-month pilot program to see if the use of city manpower will have a positive return on investment in the processing of biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant.

Director of Public Works Jeffrey Conte said the pilot program for the demonstration-lease of equipment from Sustainable Generation, LLC out of St. Petersburg, Fla. will let employees know what sort of labor would be involved in the combined composting of biosolids and the landscaping waste from the city.

The lease for the demonstration equipment was approved at a cost of $29,700. Conte said current estimates are running at around $5 million to permanently set up the operation. The city currently pays between $800-900,000 annually for the handling of the biosolids, according to Conte. If the process can be handled in-house, that expense will pay for itself in around six years.

In other business on Monday, the Council:

•Approved the live event license for a concert Saturday night to be hosted by On the Rail at the lot of the former Newcomb Hotel.

•Approved an ordinance to allow the View 21 development property near Third and Maine to install signs on the side of the building overhanging the sidewalk that are larger than typically accepted under city ordinances.