The Denton County city of The Colony has hired Princeton Fire Chief Shannon Stephens as its new fire chief, City Manager Troy Powell said.

Stephens had served for 24 years with The Colony Fire Department, becoming assistant chief, before leaving in July 2023 to become chief in Harker Heights. He joined the Princeton Fire Department a year ago.
“We were presented with a rare opportunity to have a candidate we feel is uniquely qualified for the position with Chief Stephens’ previous two decades of knowledge and experience with TCFD, as well as the community itself,” Powell said in the announcement on Tuesday, April 14.

Stephens had succeeded Princeton Fire Chief Tom Harvey following Harvey’s retirement.
Another fast-growing Dallas suburb, The Colony, on Lake Lewisville, had a population of 44,000 in the 2020 census.

“From what I understand, he is stepping into the role previously held by his former Chief from where he started,” Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. said.

“Public safety funding has been a known issue in this city long before I was elected. It’s something that has been talked about for years,” Escobar said. “This summer, we will be presenting a solution that will go before the voters on the November ballot. This proposal will establish a dedicated funding mechanism specifically for public safety.”

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