PORT TOWNSEND — Four men, chosen as finalists from a field of 32 applicants, will meet the public Monday evening to make their case for the job of Port Townsend Police chief.
The online forum from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. is accessible via zoom.us/join, with meeting ID 873 9989 5646, passcode 579524.
“We’re eager to get people to join us for the event,” City Manager John Mauro said, “so we can hear community reflections on the candidates,” who come from cities large and small.
Appearing Monday are:
• Mark Daniel, chief of police in Mt. Angel, Ore., a city 18 miles from the capital of Salem, with a population of 3,593; Daniel has 33 years of law enforcement experience.
• Joseph Harris, whose 19 years of law enforcement experience include his current post as chief of the Mattawa, Wash., Police Department; the Grant County town has a population of 4,608.
• Thomas Olson, whose 32 years of experience in law enforcement include his current job as deputy chief of the University of Washington Police Department.
• D.F. Pace, police inspector with the nation’s fourth-largest police department in Philadelphia; Pace has 20 years of law enforcement experience.
The men are the finalists in a national search that got underway last year after longtime Port Townsend Police Chief Michael Evans retired. Then-Sgt. Troy Surber stepped into the position of interim chief, while informing the department he too would be retiring within a year or so, and wouldn’t be a candidate for the permanent job.
Port Townsend’s police chief leads 15 officers, a navigator-social worker and two police clerks. In addition to the chief position, the department has three vacancies, Mauro noted.
According to the color brochure describing Port Townsend and the chief job, the police department serves a city of 9,500, handling some 10,000 calls per year.
The salary range for the new chief is from $107,669 to $137,201, with a benefits package including a pension and health, life and long-term care insurance and “generous paid time off.”
“The City is seeking a highly ethical and accountable law enforcement professional,” the brochure notes.
“She or he will need to hold officers accountable while also creating a positive work environment.”
Mauro said that during Monday’s online meeting, viewers will have a chance to converse with each of the candidates in breakout rooms, and then fill out surveys the city manager will read as he makes his hiring decision.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@ peninsuladailynews.com.
