During his press conference Wednesday, Mayor Keith Gaskin said the city wants to line up interviews with the three finalists for police chief before releasing any names.
The police chief search committee narrowed the list of finalists down to three on Tuesday. Immediately after that meeting, Gaskin told The Dispatch the names of the finalists could be released “as early as Wednesday.”
However, Gaskin equivocated on the timeline, saying the city wants to get all its ducks in a row before releasing anything. When asked if he still thought the names would be released this week, Gaskin said, “Possibly, but I can’t guarantee.”
“This is still a personnel issue,” he said. “We are in the process now of confirming that the three finalists will come in for an in-person interview. Once we get that done we’ll be announcing who those candidates are.”
The decision on whether to announce the names is “tough,” Gaskin said.
“Some think we should, some think we shouldn’t,” he said. “… But I am determined that the citizens be aware of who the candidates are and why they were selected.”
Gaskin said he wants to make the candidates accessible to the public while they are here for their interviews.
“I’m hoping to have an opportunity for the candidates to meet members of the public who might want to come by,” Gaskin said. “The idea is to have them here in the reception room for 30 minutes or so so citizens can come by and shake their hand and ask them any questions.
“As soon as we can (release the information) in an effective way that stays within our personnel guidelines and we can make sure the search continues in a professional manner, we will relay that information to you,” he added.
The process up to this point has been handled by a 10-person search committee. The members are: Gaskin, Ward 2 Councilman Joseph Mickens, Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene, Ward 5 Councilman Stephen Jones, Chief Operations Officer Jammie Garrett, Human Resources Director Pat Mitchell, former Columbus Police Department Chief Pete Bowen, District Attorney Scott Colom, public defender Amanda Meadows and Civil Service Commission member Rita Felton.
The city is replacing former chief Fred Shelton, who retired on Aug. 15. He announced his intention to retire on July 12, hours before a special-call city council meeting to discuss his job performance.
Columbus City Council appointed Doran Johnson, the assistant chief, to serve as interim chief, effective Aug. 16. He said at the time he would apply for the permanent post.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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