Among topics at next week’s Springfield Finance Control Board meeting will be some issues related to public safety, including the eventual, possible addition of more police officers to the local force, a potential tweak to the city’s trash fee policy, and what may happen to police department leadership now that Commissioner Edward Flynn is leaving.

Springfield resident Sheila McElwaine was at City Hall last Friday for Mayor Charles Ryan’s press conference, at which he responded formally to Commissioner Flynn’s announcement late Thursday about his new job in Milwaukee. During the event, Mayor Ryan indicated that he would like Deputy Chief William Fitchet to be a permanent choice for a police commissioner, in contrast to asking him to serve as an interim acting commissioner.

Present at the press conference alongside Mayor Ryan were City Councilors Tim Rooke and Bud Williams. McElwaine’s full report is below.

Mayor Ryan Press Conference on Police Department Leadership
Friday, November 16, 2007

Mayor Ryan said the subject of the conference was the announcement in the press that Police Commissioner Ed Flynn (pictured) had been offered the chief’s job in Milwaukee, adding that he had tried unsuccessfully to reach Flynn that morning at his office, but that he takes at face value what he has learned in media.

He reminded those present—TV stations, WAMC’s Paul Tuthill, WHYN’s John Baibak, Peter Goonan from the Republican and me—of the vote by the control board at their last meeting (pictured) to give executive director Steve Lisauskas and the mayor authority to appoint an acting chief should Flynn actually resign. He and Lisausakas had announced that, if necessary, they would immediately appoint Deputy Fitchet as acting commissioner.

As for the process for selecting a permanent commissioner, that decision would be made by the control board on or before their November 29 meeting.

Mayor Ryan’s position on the hiring process—which he has already communicated to control board members Robert Nunes and Chris Gabrieli, and was to discuss Friday afternoon with James Morton—was that having participated in a national search which led to the appointment of Flynn, and also placed Fitchet in the top five candidates, he is disinclined to mount another one.

His reasons have to do with the length of time needed for a search, and the prolonged uncertainty it would create in the city and in the department. Should an out-of-town candidate be chosen, there would be an additional length of time needed for such a person to get acquainted with the department and the city. Mayor Ryan sees one year of momentum lost were a national search to be mounted.

Deputy Fitchet continues to impress the mayor as the best candidate for the job, based on his performance during the seven months he was acting commissioner, his ability to gracefully move into the number two position when Flynn came on board, the fact that police officers think so highly of him, and the fact that he stuck it out in the department even during the Paula Meara years, when he was excluded from real responsibility.

In answer to a question from ABC40’s Jim Polito, Mayor Ryan called mayor-elect Domenic Sarno’s request for postponement of action on the police commissioner until after he takes office “an artificial issue,” particularly since Sarno (pictured) also supports Fitchet as police commissioner. Ryan added, “I want to move it, because loss of Flynn is a set-back. Commitment is important. [Flynn’s] commitment was broken, and it didn’t help the city or the department.”

Questions turned to the nature of commissioner’s contract, with Polito asking whether it was a mistake to have given Flynn “a 30-day out.” The mayor pointed out that lawyers learn early on that employment contracts are enforceable for the employee, but not for the employer, citing the principle of “involuntary servitude.”

Polito then posited that Flynn’s hiring was “political,” saying he had been backed by former Governor Mitt Romney.

Ryan denied this, saying his vote for Flynn had nothing to do with the governor, and that votes of the rest of the original control board were, in effect, ratification of the joint decision of the mayor and then-control board executive director Philip Puccia (pictured, far right), adding, “They would have voted for anyone we liked.”

Baibak asked whether Deputy Fitchet is worth $155,000 per year. Turning to Councilor Williams, he said, “If this is a majority-minority city, why not recruit a minority chief?”

Mayor Ryan said that he was comfortable with his position, and with Fitchet. Williams, keeping his eyes downcast, said nothing.

Goonan asked whether the mayor had any “regrets about Flynn given the Milwaukee situation.” Ryan responded that the issue of whether or not Flynn’s commitment was sincere was explored during his interview, and that they would never have hired him if he said he’d be moving on in 16 months.

“We were trying to stabilize the department, and this doesn’t help. [If Flynn were to ask,] I’d waive the 30-day requirement in a minute; he doesn’t need 30 days.”

According to Ryan, two commitments were made when Flynn was hired: he was to stay five years, and the administration would support him and the department, which the city has done to the tune of a 25 percent increase in its budget (to $10 million), the biggest of any city department.

The focus now turned in earnest to Councilor Williams (pictured, far right, at at an event earlier this year), with Polito asking, “You will be on the control board in January. Will you support a national search—a trial for William Fitchet, or a search?”

Williams (pictured, far left, last summer) answered saying he wants the “best possible candidate” and that he “thought Fitchet did an outstanding job. I want to talk to him with a couple of members of the community. …I disagree that a national search throws a monkey wrench. People move from job to job, especially superintendents and commissioners.”

On the subject of the head of police being a civil service position or not, Mayor Ryan stated, “The mayor should have the ultimate authority, because he or she is subject to removal by the voters. The Ed Flynn situation isn’t a reflection on the lack of civil service.”

In answer to a question, the mayor said that he last saw Flynn about a week prior, but that there isn’t much for them to talk about now.

Tuthill asked Councilor Williams whether he wants the city to recruit a minority to the police commissioner position. The answer was that while appointments should reflect the population, Williams wants the best person. Someone else asked what makes Fitchet the best person, and Williams said, “Knowledge, community policing, walking beats. He knows the station, is visible, has the respect of the minority community.”

Councilor Tim Rooke took a question on whether Deputy Fitchet was likely “to stick it out through another national search” by reminding them that Fitchet “was number two in the previous national search, he stayed on when others did not, and the officers respect him,” adding that he has told control board chair Gabrieli that he supports Fitchet.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 19th, 2007 at 11:35 am and is filed under Community building, Events, Finance Control Board, Media, Photos, Press conferences, Public safety, Springfield, Urban Compass.