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An ad-hoc search committee will today interview three Saranac Lake
police officers vying to be the next chief. Sgts. Bruce Nason, Bill
Cote and Patrolman Peter Gladd will be meeting individually with the
eight-person committee this afternoon, Mayor Tom Michael said.
The decision will rest with the
village manager, the mayor said, but trustees will be offering their
own input after the committee makes its recommendation.
“We'll be having a discussion about
the pros and cons of different candidates,” Michael said.
Dick Depuy has been serving as
acting chief for more than a year and a half since the village
suspended and ultimately fired Police Chief Donald Perryman Jr. for
attempting to cover-up a state police investigation into a 2006
crash involving Sgt. Nason and Patrolman Casey Reardon. The two
officers later admitted to drinking alcohol earlier in the day and
were suspended without pay for six months before being reinstated.
The village board is bound by civil service rules to
hire from within the department. Eight officers took the chiefs
exam; Nason, Cote and Gladd were the top scorers and the village is
under a 30-day deadline to hire one of the three.
“At this point in time that's all we
can choose from,” Michael said.
As the
deadline is looming before the end of the month, the mayor said last
night that the appointment could come as soon as this week.
In
other news, the village is considering making a section of Dorsey
Street one-way. Last night, trustees set a July 28 public hearing to
consider limiting the street from the village parking lot to
Broadway to northeast traffic only. Mayor Tom Michael said he’s
concerned that Dorsey Street at Broadway is too narrow and would
need to be widened to safely accommodate turning vehicles. |