A committee comprised of Danville Interim City Manager Ron¿Scott and three city employees will spend the next several weeks reviewing 20 applications for the police chief position.
Atlanta-based consulting firm the Mercer Group recruited 78 applicants and forwarded the best 20 to the city, Scott said during a¿Thursday interview.
The pool includes several people who already work for the city, not just Interim Police Chief Tony Gray, according to Scott. At least one additional applicant lives in¿Kentucky, but the majority are from other states. Scott declined to discuss additional details about the nature of the applications.
“The quality of these applications is outstanding,” Mayor Bernie Hunstad said Thursday.
Former chief Jay Newell resigned his position in December, saying he had health concerns and wanted to return to his job as a patrol officer. Gray has been serving as interim chief since that time.
Fire Chief Woody Ball, City Engineer Earl Coffey and City Clerk Donna Peek will serve on the application review committee. While Scott will consider the opinions of the committee members, he plans to make the final hiring decision.
Scott did not have a definite timeline for the decision, noting that this is a particularly busy time for the city because of the budget planning process.
“It is the job of the city manager to make objective decisions regarding personnel,” Scott said. “However, I want people’s input into the process.”
Hunstad noted Scott is not required to have a selection committee, but that he is pleased with Scott’s decision to do so.
