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Committee asks counsel to draft ordinance for screening committee for police, fire and EMS chiefs amid civil service changes
Summary
The committee asked corporation counsel to draft an ordinance creating a local screening committee to vet candidates for police, fire and EMS chiefs. HR explained civil service timing; councillors debated the mayor’s appointment authority, transparency and how an assessment center or civil service list would interact with a local committee.
The Ordinances & Legislation Committee directed corporation counsel to draft an ordinance to create a screening committee for selecting chiefs of police, fire and emergency medical services.
Nick McElhinney, the city’s director of human resources, told the committee that because a recent home‑rule petition approved civil service for the police chief role, a civil service list will be produced upon vacancy and that the timeline for a list can take months. "A list will be eligible for two years," McElhinney said, describing how civil service lists and assessment centers interact with a local screening process.
Councilors debating the measure discussed the difference between the mayor’s charter authority to appoint department heads and the public interest in transparent vetting. Corporation Counsel Alan Rumsey warned that the charter gives the mayor appointment authority and said the council cannot unilaterally impose executive functions, but he also said the council could seek to persuade the mayor or request a seat at the table.
Several members said a local screening committee — similar to those used in other cities — could provide a public, televised vetting process and recommended drafting an ordinance so the administration could propose committee membership and procedure. The committee voted to request that corporation counsel draft the proposed ordinance and to table the resolution while counsel prepares a draft.
Next steps: corporation counsel to prepare an ordinance draft for committee review; HR to provide civil service context and timelines for how a list would be issued.
