San Bernardino could possibly name new police chief on Monday. Maybe.
By Andrew Edwards
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO -- The City Council could hire a new police chief on Monday, but city officials are not willing to say if they expect to make a decision.
"IF the Mayor does bring forward a police chief appointment for confirmation by the Council, that would be discussed in closed session under the personnel exception on Monday's agenda labeled 'Police Chief,'" mayoral chief of staff Jim Morris
"IF the Council takes action to confirm the appointment in closed session, the action would (be) announced in open session," the chief of staff continued.
The City Charter gives Mayor Pat Morris authority to name a candidate who would then have to be ratified by the City Council. Whoever is selected would succeed Police Chief Michael Billdt, who was first promoted to the chief's position on an interim basis in March 2006.
The council met behind closed doors to interview a pair of candidates Thursday night. No council members interviewed for this article would name any candidates or discuss the substance of the job interviews.
"It was a very good interviewing process, we had good candidates," 6th Ward Councilman Rikke Van Johnson said Friday.
"Whoever the selection is is going to do well in our city," he added.
Pat Morris' office has announced that the mayor wanted to have a new chief confirmed by Monday, but as his chief of staff wrote, there's no guarantee the council will bring a close to the process.
Seventh Ward Councilwoman Wendy McCammack did not comment on the candidates Friday, but did say there is a chance that an important detail -- how much the new chief will receive in pay and benefits -- may not be figured out by Monday.
"I don't know if they'll make that vote because we have seen no contract suggestions," she said.
Whoever is selected as police chief will not only have to contend with San Bernardino's perennial crime problem but also need to mend the Police Department's frayed labor-management relations.
The mayor has supported Billdt throughout his tenure as chief, but rank and file police officers have made no secret of their dissatisfaction with the chief's leadership.
The police union has recorded two no confidence votes against Billdt, the first of which was taken in September after union leaders criticized the chief during a council meeting.
Union leaders have claimed that Billdt played favorites within the department and created a paranoid atmosphere within the police force.
The union took its second vote in February in the midst of the city's debate on how to solve a $9 million budget deficit. At the time, many officers were worried about possible police layoffs.
Police officer layoffs were eventually averted, but the council did vote to lay off dozens of non-safety city employees.
Murders have declined during Billdt's time as chief, and until recently, he was charged with increasing the size of the Police Department after voters approved the Measure Z sales tax hike in 2006 to fund the hiring of new officers.
The recession and its resulting decline in tax revenues means that promised expansion of the police force to 356 officers will be delayed. The city's current budget allows for 334 officers to be on the force when the fiscal year ends on June 30.
The council voted earlier this month to apply for grant funding that could allow the city to resume hiring, but the new chief will have to take office at a time when money will be tight.
In addition to having a new police chief, San Bernardino is set to have a new city manager soon. Charles McNeely, the current city manager of Reno, Nev. is scheduled to become the city's top administrator June 1.
[TAG1]andrew.edwards@inlandnewspapers.com
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Andrew Edwards. E-mail Andrew here.
If memory serves me correctly, filling the P/D Chief’s position is the last “KEY” position in the City’s leadership team that needs filling by this current administration. The citizens have waited a long time for all these changes to occur. We can only hope that the selected candidate for SBPD Chief understands what awaits him both with internally rebuilding the PD as well as assuming the role of a key member of the City’s leadership team or should I say within the City’s political side.
Very soon, the citizens themselves will embark on evaluating the effectiveness of the “top spot” in the City’s leadership team, the MAYOR. He and a few other elected Council members will also be voted out of office for whatever reason or kept in office continuing the status quo of how this City is lead and/or supervised. These elections are but a few short months away with one big test for them before the citizens decide their fate. The last test will be having a realistic City Budget ready and approved by the start of the new physical year when it is due. (There are not many more (if any) layoffs that can occur and have the City to continue to function as we expect it to.) Then next comes a review of the good and not-so-good that these leaders were responsible for. Operation Phoenix, good or bad? The waste of money due to poor or unrealistic investing of City funds or the creative innovated investing of these funds that gave a reasonable return to the City from this investing. The appointments of key staff members that brought SB into the sunlight of pride, or took SB into the shadows of shame. The quick and decisive way significant issues were managed or dealt with or the time consuming indecisive decision making that became so costly for the City and the staff that floundered without permanent leadership being put in place.
Yes, 2009 has the making of a much needed house cleaning for the City leaders or just another ho hum election where the politics in SB stay as they have been for a very long time. It will be interesting to watch the events of this next election unfold. Ownership and responsibility for accomplishments both good and bad will no doubt surface and refresh the voter’s memories on each of the elected candidates. Are the voters and citizens of SB pleased or satisfied with the way their City has been run for the last four years? Or will they stand up and say what we have had to endure is these past years is directly accountable to these elected and change is a must if this City is to rebound from the abyss it has been in?
can't wait to see a big exit article on Billdt's history ...