Earlier this week selectmen put together the 7-member committee that will search for a new police chief. The committee will serve an advisory role to the Board of Selectmen. They’ll interview candidates and make recommendations on finalists, but selectmen will have final say over who is hired.
One of the candidates the committee will most likely interview is Interim Police Chief Jane Moran. Selectmen have said that should Moran apply for the position — which she has indicated she will — in deference to the time she has already spent running the department, she will automatically be named one of the finalists for the position. As you probably know, that decision by selectmen has been a controversial one.
“It’s not a done deal by any stretch of the imagination,” Chairman Sal Giorlandino said. “(Moran) has to prove herself to the committee just as other candidates need to prove themselves to the committee.”
But former selectman Roger Challen told the selectmen that making Moran an automatic finalist would create lingering doubts about whether the process was fair. “The question in many people’s minds – was it a setup?” he said. “I’m mostly concerned you’re doing her a disservice. I’m confident she is able to make it through qualifying.”
For her part, Moran said she has faith in the committee. “If I’m the best candidate I’ll get the job. If not, I’ll be weeded out and I’ll be happy to go back to the position I’ve held for 28 years.”
(For the latest on Southborough’s search for a new police chief, click here.)
Jane’s opinion sounds fair to me
John,
I agree her opinion sounds fair and she should be considered as a candidate. However, the BOS has stacked the deck by requiring all candidates to live or agree to move to Southboro or an adjoining town. In this economy, it is not realistic to expect someone to sell a home and incur the expense of a move. She is the ONLY Southboro Sgt who meets the distance requirement. The contract with the SPD calls for officers and Sgts to live within 15 miles. Why not use that limit?
A 15 mile radius of Southborough would run east to Needham, north to Acton, west to Worcester, and south to Franklin.
That seems pretty reasonable to me.
I agree. The firefighters are allowed to live in a certain radius because, well, they can’t afford Southborough. I think the next police chief should be allowed the same. There are Sergeants on duty to handle things until the Chief arrives.