SEQUIM — City Manager Steve Burkett hopes to hire a new police chief by mid-month.
On Friday, Burkett plans to interview five finalists gleaned from about 60 applications he received after the position was advertised, closing July 1.
He has invited the finalists to Sequim to meet community residents from 5 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the City Council chambers at the Transit Center, North Second Avenue at West Cedar Street.
“That’s an opportunity for anyone to come and meet any one of the five finalists,” Burkett said.
He won’t release the names of the finalists until Monday or Tuesday.
“They’re all employed elsewhere and I wanted to make sure that they talked to their current employers” before the names are released, Burkett said.
He said he wants to quickly pare down the candidates to one or two shortly after the Friday interviews, which would be followed by background checks.
Burkett asked former Police Chief Bob Spinks to find another job last March, saying he was no longer the right man for the post Spinks had held for five years.
Spinks’ last day was July 2. He will be paid through Sept. 1. With vacation and sick leave, his total pay after departure was $31,044.52.
The City Council meanwhile has endorsed Burkett’s proposal to boost the police chief pay range by 10 percent to between $86,400 and $106,000.
Spinks’ annual salary was $86,299.
“I think we’ve got five really good finalists and I hope it will be a difficult decision for me,” Burkett said.
In addition to Burkett, finalists also will go before a panel of Police Department employees, who will later discuss the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses with the city manager.
City department directors also will talk to the candidates Friday, Burkett said, because he wants all his department heads to work well together.
Burkett said he is looking for a police chief who “shares my management and leadership values” and is focused on “customer values.”
“I am looking for someone who can gain the respect of those inside the department,” he said, adding that this is the key to being an effective chief.
“They need to know what they are doing as far as police work and all five know what they are doing,” he said.
Being data-oriented and keen on budget matters were two other police chief characteristics the city manager of nine months seeks.
“We need someone who can communicate and is focused on what are the real resources in the community,” he said.
Police personnel have asked Burkett to bring someone in who will give the department continuity and stability.
“Some in the department have said they’ve had five chiefs,” he said.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
