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Atwater council approves Lt. Novetski as police chief amid criticism over closed hiring process
Summary
The Atwater City Council voted to appoint Lieutenant Novetski as police chief but faced public and council criticism for closing recruitment and making an internal appointment without a broader selection process.
The Atwater City Council on Monday approved an employment agreement appointing Lieutenant Novetski as the city’s next police chief, while several council members and residents criticized the recruitment and selection process as rushed and insufficiently transparent.
City Manager Chris introduced the item, saying the current chief had submitted a retirement letter and that Lieutenant Novetski would serve until the end of August before taking the post. Chris presented the employment agreement and asked for council support for the appointment.
Several residents and council members said the city should have conducted a full, open recruitment. One resident who spoke during public comment criticized the process, saying, “this process of just one person's selection is wrong and you as a body should be included in this.” Another public commenter read the city's hiring policy aloud and told council members it was “unfair to close this advertisement for police chief after these individuals submitted the resumes in good faith.” Both speakers urged transparency and an open competitive process.
City Manager Chris responded to the criticism in public comments: “I apologize for that. I did rush to put out the recruitment… once it was open and then I started vetting our internal candidate more closely, I realized we already had the right person for the job.” He said the administration would treat the feedback as a learning opportunity going forward.
Council discussion reflected mixed views: members repeatedly said they supported the candidate personally but were troubled by the procedural optics of closing the recruitment after receiving outside applications. Several council members emphasized the value of morale and the benefits of promoting an internal candidate, while others said the council and community were deprived of the opportunity to evaluate external applicants.
The council approved the motion to "approve staff's recommendation as presented" (motion by Raymond; second by Ambry Kale). The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Raymond, Kale, Ambry Kale, Rochester and Nelson; the motion passed.
The appointment is effective under the terms presented in the employment agreement; council did not reopen the recruitment during the meeting. The city manager said the administration would review the process for future hires and bring any policy changes back to the council.
What’s next: Lieutenant Novetski is expected to assume chief duties per the approved agreement; council and staff said they will consider process changes for future executive-level recruitments.
