Brookhaven council appoints Acting Chief Tim Havoc after split debate; council records multiple routine approvals

Brookhaven Borough Council on March 3 voted to appoint Acting Chief Tim Havoc as chief of police following a contentious debate about whether the borough had adequately advertised and interviewed candidates for the permanent post.

The roll‑call vote to appoint Havoc (the acting chief) carried 4–3. Council members in favor said promoting the department’s senior officer would provide continuity after a turbulent staffing period; members opposed said their “no” votes reflected concerns about process and the absence of an open hiring search and candidate interviews.

Process and objections

Councilwoman [first reference] Miss Fovio said she opposed holding the vote that night because the borough had neither opened the position to outside applicants nor discussed the hiring in executive session. “I don’t think we should be taking a vote on this tonight,” she said, arguing the council should follow a normal hiring process. Several other council members said they were not aware of the appointment before the agenda was released Friday and expressed frustration at the timing.

Supporters of the appointment said Havoc has long service in Brookhaven and local knowledge that would be hard to match from an outside hire. Councilman Joe Pappas (council member) and others said promoting from within was appropriate given Havoc’s tenure, training…