SEQUIM — The city’s quest to find a new police chief appears to be back on track.
The search firm that brought Sequim its last chief has identified five finalists as potential replacements for Ken Burge, who left in September after a 23-month tenure in Sequim to head the police department in Alcoa, Tenn.
The names aren’t being released yet, but will be made available by Dec. 2, City Manager Bill Elliott said Tuesday.
So far, four of the finalists have accepted invitations to come to Sequim for a Dec. 16 public reception at El Cazador restaurant and interviews on Dec. 17 with Elliott and the head of search firm Waldron and Associates, as well as city department heads and members of the Sequim Police Department.
Job offer soon afterward
It’s hoped that a job offer can be extended “as soon as we can” after the visit, Elliott said.
Waldron is conducting the search for Burge’s replacement at no extra cost to the city because the search firm guarantees its hires for two years.
Burge’s tenure came up one month short.
In Burge’s absence, police Sgts. Sean Madison and Sheri Crain have been handling the chief’s duties in the 16-member department.
The Sequim police chief’s salary is budgeted for 2005 at $67,960.
