Police Chief Search Committee Present: Joseph Pane
September 20, 2005 Jodi Ross
James Anker
Stanley Wysocki
Kimberly Denaro
Eric Schartner
Robert Minardi
The Police Chief Search Committee met at 7:30 p.m. at the Florence Sawyer School Library. The meeting began with the members discussing the experience each had on prior search committees. On a motion made by Anker and seconded by Ross the Police Chief Search Committee elected Joe Pane as Chairman. All voted in favor. On a motion made by Pane and seconded by Denaro the Police Chief Search Committee elected Brian Lynch as Vice Chairman. All voted in favor. The consensus was to rotate the secretary role, with draft minutes forwarded to Town Secretary Linda Day to prepare for signatures and posting on the website. It was agreed that Ms. Day would attend critical meetings where it might be difficult for a committee member to record the minutes. Mr. Schartner
suggested a template be created to assist the members in keeping accurate minutes, and Ms. Ross agreed to have the template developed. Mr. Pane requested all documents be sent electronically to members.
The police chief job description was discussed, which is being reviewed by the Board of Selectmen and the Personnel Committee. Mr. Minardi, Chairman of the Personnel Committee, stated they were reviewing the job descriptions at their next meeting. It was agreed that the description was beyond the purview of this committee, however, the members needed to understand the job duties and requirements. The members discussed needing the description finalized as soon as possible to determine educational and experience requirements, and salary range. The committee reviewed advertisements, and discussed whether or not this should be a regional or national search, which Ms. Ross will discuss with the Selectmen. Mr. Schartner suggested we look regionally as there are many good candidates in other
New England states. There was discussion regarding whether or not the town might offer relocation benefits, and Ms. Ross will discuss with the Board of Selectmen. There was discussion regarding the salary level and the committee agreed with the need to be in a competitive range. Bolton not having accepted the Quinn Bill might be a roadblock to hiring some candidates, as those with a master’s degree would be eligible for a 25% of their salary stipend in other towns. The committee agreed that the fact Bolton did not offer the Quinn Bill should be clearly stated in the ad. The members agreed to state in the ad that the search would remain open until the position was filled.
The committee discussed the desirability of hiring a search firm to assist with this process. Ms. Ross stated that the Selectmen were willing to contribute funds towards this purpose. Mr. Anker asked for a firm budget commitment from the Board of Selectmen to cover the cost of a consultant and other expenses, and Ms. Ross agreed to discuss with the Board of Selectmen at their next meeting. The consensus was for Ms. Ross to seek three written quotes for search firms and then schedule interviews with them at the next meeting on October 3, 2005. It was suggested that the firms be asked to bring an ad to the next meeting, references and a roster of clients, time availability, retention rates of police chiefs they had assisted with hiring, the process they would follow, and the fees to be
charges.
The committee discussed the timeline, with a target date of January 1, 2006 for a start date of the new chief and agreed this was aggressive and might not be achievable. The steps needed would be:
· Interview consultants, with Ms. Ross seeking quotes and arranging interviews at our next meeting.
· Review the job description, sample ads, and Board of Selectmen comments on attributes and experience they were looking for in a new police chief.
· Hire a consultant
· Consultant will write the ad and advertise for 4 weeks in variety of media
· Post the notices in the town hall and other department bulletin boards
· Collect resumes, review resumes, schedule interviews with qualified applicants
· Conduct second interviews
· Recommend at a minimum two candidates to the Board of Selectmen.
Mr. Wysocki stated that if only one candidate was found suitable, that we should reopen the search. Mr. Schartner suggested that written essays be required of the candidates who we decided to interview. He felt that had been very helpful in the Berlin search.
The agenda for the committee’s next meeting would be to review the job description, review comments from the Selectmen regarding key attributes, education and experience, complete the advertisement, and interview and hire a search firm. It was agreed to schedule the firms at 7:15, 7:45 and 8:15 p.m., which would allow for a 15-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of questions, and a 5-minute break. It was agreed to try to hold the meetings to a specific time allotment.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
| 
