Chief of Police Position

 Headline in today's WDT:
Village Will Not Seek Waiver For New Chief's Pension Pay

....Stephen R. Miller, county human resources director, said if the village is not willing to apply for the pension waiver, candidates who receive retirement benefits are likely to withdraw, allowing the village to pick candidates who are lower on the list.

Let me interpret that for you....... Like knocking the top rungs out of a ladder, which in effect moves B. Mullaney from the bottom rungs to the top of the ladder.  This would make Acting COP B. Mullaney reachable on this list.

I know exactly how civil service law works.  By not applying for the waiver the mayor can discourage any or all of the top 3 candidates.   Other ways to get applicants to sign off as not being interested in the position are:  Odd shift hours, working weekends and holidays, restricting clothing allowances etc etc.  This is known as the negative interview where the mayor can paint a picture of  a work environment that appears to be  not desirable for the applicant.  We the taxpayers will never know if  this environment would be the same for every candidate.  Basically it is a different interview for all the applicants till you get to the applicant that you want........then the negative interview stops and a more positive rosy interview starts.  This whole process is within civil service law but it usually is not talked about.  It is like a little dirty family secret.  Definitely not one to be leaked to the press.


Thoughts from JC:
The circle of political life for the mayor started when then COP Sacco was  [fired] forced[?] out of his position.  You all remember that,  it hit the papers and was widely discussed on various blogs, forums, and radio talk shows.  Now isn't it odd that this whole topic has come full circle with the hiring of a Police Chief.