City of Ithaca
Chief of Police Search Process
Police chief selection process is proposed by Cohen
Before presenting a draft version of the selection process, Bill Trochim stated, “I would like to get some sense from this group that you are willing to go forward with this process. I am not interested in getting involved in a struggle between the council and the mayor.”
Alderperson Pam Mackesey (1st Ward) commented, “The request that we buy into this lock, stock and barrel and not question it is something that I would never do.” It appears that the consultants’ requirement of Council support may be the only bargaining chip Council will have in this discussion with the mayor.
Bill Trochim, also a professor of Human Service Studies at Cornell, will volunteer his time, and Mary Trochim will offer the services of her company, Concept Systems, at no charge. The proposed process would begin immediately with a start-up committee comprising at least four Common Council members working out the details and helping to determine the makeup of the Selection Committee.
The Start-up committee then disbands and the Selection Committee (with only one Council representative) holds three public meetings to determine the criteria for the new chief. The selection committee would then screen resumes and pick six candidates to interview. Three finalists would be chosen, each of whom will be visited in their communities. Finally, the mayor will choose the new chief from the three finalists.
“The mayor had six months to talk about it, and now we are being asked to make a decision in a week,” says Alderperson John Efroymson (2nd Ward). The timeline requires that Council agree to get started on this process immediately.
While waiting for the Trochims to arrive, several Council members stated that they wanted written materials on the proposal prior to a vote on it. Mackesey, who had not received materials as of Monday, commented, “I have no more of a sense of this than what I had [last week]. If you look at the bottom line, at who is making this decision, it is the mayor. I would like to look at it more closely and see what [the consultants] have to say.”
As for the composition of the proposed selection committee, Mackesey notes, “We will have a representative, but [Cohen] will choose the committee.”
“Ultimately, I think Common Council should have approval of his appointment,” says Efroymson. One of the referendums recently vetoed by the mayor requires the same search process for the Police Chief that is used for other department heads, giving Common Council the final say on the mayor’s choice. Council was expected to vote on Wednesday to override the mayor’s veto on this and two other referendums. These ballot issues should appear on the November 1997 ballot.
-Sarah Benson
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This project is sponsored in part by:
Concept Systems Incorporated |
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