Conroe council appoints John Buchholz as police chief; one abstention

The Conroe City Council appointed John Buchholz as the city's next police chief on Jan. 23, following a nationwide search and recommendation from a six-person selection committee.

The committee reviewed more than 40 applicants, narrowed the field to five finalists and interviewed four candidates before recommending Buchholz, interim staff said. Mayor (unnamed) moved to appoint Buchholz; the motion was seconded and carried after a voice vote with one abstention.

"Integrity, honor, honesty. We we have those same things in our current interim chief," the mayor said during the meeting, adding that "this is about vision and moving this organization forward. I believe Mr. Buchholz is the right man to lead our city forward." The mayor made the formal nomination on the council floor.

Councilman Wood said he had information from the committee and chose to abstain from the vote. "With the information I have ... I choose to abstain from this vote," Wood said during the meeting.

City staff described the selection process to the council: the pool included candidates from around the state and the country, a six-member committee (three council members and three staff) conducted initial screening, and four finalists were interviewed before the recommendation.

The council recorded the appointment during the meeting; no effective date for Buchholz's tenure was specified on the record.

The council moved on to other agenda items following the appointment. No further conditions or employment contract details were stated on the public record during the meeting.