Interim Police Chief Simon Keeling is now the permanent Police Chief for the Town of Norwich. That is surprising news. Not because of the person selected but because of the timing of the decision.
Rewind to the April 28 Selectboard meeting. After hearing public comment over the course of two meetings, the Selectboard voted against immediately hiring a police chief. “Motion failed (yes – Layton, Calloway; no – Brochu, Gere, Arnold)” say the draft meeting minutes. [Aside: why are minutes from April still in “draft”?] Instead, the Selectboard planned on a town-wide discussion about the future shape of the Norwich Police Department.
What happened that the Interim Town Manager felt the need to take this hiring action now? Before the town-wide discussion and in the middle of budget season? The public record does not say. No Selectboard member publicly inquired.
Odd.
On Sunday, I queried by email Selectboard Chair Roger Arnold and Interim Town Manager Roderick Francis about the hiring. Two of my questions were: What was the process used in selecting Chief Keeling? and Why select a new police chief now? Neither public official responded.
Selectboard authority
Some might say the Selectboard does not control who the Town Manager hires. But, that statement is only partially correct. By statute, a Town Manager is subject to the direction and control of the Selectboard. At the meeting on April 28, the Selectboard paused the hiring of a Police Chief.
Moreover, the Selectboard plans to ask voters at Town Meeting in March for permission to spend $50,000 on a consultant to study the Police Department. Clearly, the shape of the Department and the type of person who heads it are matters the Selectboard wants to weigh in on, after engaging the public. And, after hearing from the consultant.
In these circumstances, it would seemingly take a bold Town Manager, and an even bolder Interim Town Manager, to hire a Police Chief, without at least some form of Selectboard approval. Did that happen here? I don’t know. But recent draft meeting minutes don’t suggest any discussion along those lines.
How disappointing that your queries went unanswered by Arnold and Francis. I have found the actions of this board and interim manager confusing and capricious. I have been only on the sidelines of the sidewalk discussion, for example, but have suffered serious whiplash watching the actions of the board as they have veered in one direction, then another, with no clear explanation.
I also must admit to being concerned that Calloway voted no on the new town manager candidate. I respect her thoughtfulness, and believe she must have had a very good reason for voting no. I wonder what that was.
Our Selectboard Chair aka municipal policy maker (Twitter handle) must feel as if decisions came be made in the dark. What’s the masthead for the Washington Post? Democracy dies in the dark.
The SB chair has strong feelings on policing that are driving his decisions. A recent example is a $50,000 policing study (read into that as a plan to decrease the police force)
He’s up for re election so maybe someone will run against him or maybe the school and church voting blocks will merely tick the box and let him have another 3 years of municipal policy making.
Scroll through @roger_arnold on Twitter to follow his positions on childcare, policing, prisoner rights and healthcare. On childcare you can sync his re tweets from Rebecca Holcombe and see the alignment with the Norwich Childcare Committee. Perhaps a FOIA/PRA of the Chairs emails to/from various individuals will shed light on the activities behind the wizard of oz’ curtain?