Union: Mayor has stacked selection committee with his pawns
By George P. Hassett

  The committee that will select the city‚Äôs next police chief is loaded with mayoral appointees who will blindly follow the orders of their administration, said Patrolmen‚Äôs Union President Jack Leutcher this week.
  ‚ÄúThe mayor is in control of enough votes on the committee to do whatever he wants. When one party controls multiple votes, the system is flawed from the start,‚Äù he said.

     When the Board of Aldermen (BOA) voted to approve Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone‚Äôs proposal to remove the chief of police from civil service, many aldermen said the last minute amendments creating a selection committee to review and recommend candidates was the difference.
     Ward 1 Alderman William A. Roche voted against similar proposals put forth by former mayors Michael E. Capuano and Dorothy Kelley Gay. He said he voted for this proposal because of its clearly outlined selection process. Alderman-at-Large Denise Provost said the formation of a selection committee convinced her to vote in favor of Curtatone‚Äôs plan.
     The process begins with an outside firm recruiting and reviewing applicants. The firm then passes on the top five to seven resumes to a selection committee that includes two police officers ‚Äì one from the Patrolmen‚Äôs Union and one from the Superior Officers Union, and four residents — two selected by the mayor and two selected by the BOA. The city‚Äôs personnel director and director of multicultural affairs are also on the committee. Two of these residents must be minorities.
    The selection committee then recommends three to five candidates to the mayor, who makes the final decision.
   ‚ÄúThe committee makes the process transparent and clear to onlookers who may not have trusted a simple appointment by the mayor,‚Äù said Provost.
    But Leutcher said the entire process is a sham and the committee is made up of Curtatone-appointed city employees, who will no doubt recommend the mayor‚Äôs favorite candidate. Curtatone has said his top choice is Acting Chief of Police Robert R. Bradley.
    ‚ÄúThe mayor controls four out of nine votes. The personnel director and the multicultural director got their jobs from him and he appoints two residents to the committee. Do you think they will vote against his choice? He is the single most powerful man in this city,‚Äù said Leutcher.
     Thomas Champion, a spokesperson for Curtatone, said the accusations are misguided and simply incorrect.
     ‚ÄúFour out of nine is not a majority, many other voices will be represented. I don‚Äôt think the mayor‚Äôs four appointments will be able to have any undue sway on the rest of the committee,‚Äù said Champion.
     Leutcher said four votes will be enough to push Curtatone‚Äôs choice through the committee until  the mayor has the chance to make the final decision.
    Leutcher warned that Curtatone was interested in increasing his power, not improving the performance of the department.
   ‚ÄúHe says he wants the chief‚Äôs position to be accountable, but all he wants is control,‚Äù he said.