After each of the three finalist interviews for Columbus Police Chief were completed, there was a familiar refrain from the city council members who will make the decision: It’s going to be a difficult choice.
That should be considered a good thing. It speaks to the quality of the finalist pool and 10-member hiring committee appointed to conduct the search.
Council members are choosing among three well-qualified candidates — Natchez Police Chief Joseph Daughtry, retired Chattanooga, Tennessee assistant chief Jason Irvin and chief deputy at the Douglas County, Nebraska, Sheriff’s Office Wayne Hudson.
Based on what we’ve learned, all of the candidates appear to have the credentials necessary for the job.
Although Daughtry is the only candidate to be the leader of a law enforcement agency, Irvin and Hudson are or were second-in-command at larger agencies.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” said Ward 4 Councilman Pierre Beard. “We have three great candidates. All three have been in law enforcement for over 25 years, but all of them bring something different to the table.”
The council met this morning in a special-call meeting to discuss the decision, but an announcement is not expected before Friday.
As the search draws to a close, our overall impression of the process is a positive one. It’s clear the search committee did a thorough job and presented to the council three qualified finalists from which to choose.
That is not to say the process was perfect. When the field of finalists was set in October, Mayor Keith Gaskin said he would like each candidate to be available to the public after his interview had ended, and though it wasn’t required, all candidates initially agreed to participate in such a meeting.
Just before the first interview, the council changed the process, voting to do away with the public meeting with the candidates. The mayor vetoed that decision, making the public meetings again optional for each candidate.
Daughtry (Natchez) chose to meet with a small handful of citizens and excluded the media. Irvin (Chattanooga) did meet with a few citizens with the media allowed to listen in. Hudson (Nebraska) spoke with citizens and the media.
We believe Daughtry’s decision not to meet with the broader public was a consequence of the city’s wishy-washy procedure and less a change of heart on his part.
The format for these discussions should have been the same for all three. That’s fair for the public and all three candidates. The council should not have made a last minute change to the process.
We are hopeful that in the future, city officials will establish a hiring process at the start and stick to it.
Of course, the bottom line in any search is to identify the best person for the job.
The presence of three strong finalists greatly aids that effort.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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