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Revere council declines mayor's bid to open police chief job to outside candidates
Summary
The City Council rejected a Home Rule Petition to remove a residency/rank restriction for the police chief appointment after hours of debate and public testimony from the mayor, police union leaders and councilors. The council voted down the measure on a roll call.
The Revere City Council voted down a Home Rule Petition to repeal Section 3 of special Act Chapter 102, which would have removed a requirement that the city's police chief be chosen from within the Revere Police Department.
The proposal, introduced by the mayor, would have allowed the city to consider external candidates for police chief in addition to internal candidates. The council rejected the measure by roll call at the Jan. 27 meeting; the final tally recorded a majority voting no and the special act failed.
The mayor appeared before the council to explain the change as a succession-planning measure that would strengthen the candidate pool and make the department more competitive, while saying the administration would continue to give preference to qualified internal candidates. "If you want to be the best, you must beat the best," the mayor said, urging review and committee discussion before any final change.
Representatives of the Revere Police Superior Officers Association testified in opposition. Sergeant Dennis Hickey, vice president of the association, said the union represents dozens of superior officers whose combined experience made internal promotion valuable. "If you aggregate some of their experience, we're talking hundreds of years," Hickey said, asking for more time to digest the proposal.
Councilors were sharply divided. Several councilors said they supported the idea of competitive processes but criticized the timing and lack of consultation with rank-and-file officers. Councilor Caballero, who identified himself as a lifelong Revere resident, said bringing someone from outside "makes me uncomfortable" and warned of morale and retention consequences. Councilor Green Osoyel said internal candidates already know the city's neighborhoods and established ties with the community. Others, including Councilor Giannino and the mayor, said the change would be used sparingly and could improve succession planning.
After discussion and a failed attempt to send the measure to Legislative Affairs for revision, the council proceeded to a roll call. The vote record shows a majority of councilors voting no and one councilor recorded as present; the clerk announced that "the special act fails." The mayor said the administration welcomes further committee review, but the measure did not pass on Jan. 27.
The council sent no substitute language to committee during the session; however the mayor and councilors noted they expect further legislative affairs discussion if the topic returns.
Action on the Home Rule Petition will not proceed unless the mayor brings a revised proposal or the council takes further up the matter in committee.
