When Chattanooga police Chief Fred Fletcher announced his retirement last month, it made me sad for our city.
He was excellent at his job, and being excellent at a job that tough, thankless and tiring is a testament to his faith, fearlessness and family.
It also made me wonder how recently re-elected Mayor Andy Berke would address the most high-profile city job opening under his control.
In my view, Berke's best move during his almost five years running Chattanooga was luring Fletcher here from Austin, Texas.
Jay GreesonNow he has to fill the chief position again, and the stakes are just as high.
The biggest issue facing our city is crime, just like the biggest issue facing our county is public education.
Hence, hiring the police chief is akin to the Hamilton County Board of Education's search for a new leader to redirect the school system.
Let's give the mayor due credit for taking a pointed first step in that search. Well done, Mayor.
According to a story by reporter Emmett Gienapp in Monday's Times Free Press, Berke appears to be hitting the right notes in the first step to replace Fletcher.
To wit:
Berke eschewed a search firm, unlike the school board or his previous attempt to find a chief. Hiring a search firm when replacing a successful leader is unnecessary and slows down the process.
Berke put together an impressive collection of individuals who will serve on a search committee. The committee, from Gienapp's story, is comprised of former District Attorney Bill Cox; Olga de Klein, former chairwoman of the Highland Park Neighborhood Association's safety committee; former U.S. Attorney Bill Killian; pastor Ternae Jordan of Mount Canaan Baptist Church; TechTown CEO Chris Ramsey, and General Sessions Court Judge Christie Sell. (Now, if you want to wonder why current District Attorney General Neal Pinkston or even outgoing Chief Fletcher are not on that list, well, that's a fair question.)
Berke acknowledged - rightly - that Fletcher followed through on an early request to build a deep bench of local talent that could be tapped if and when needed. That's a credit to Berke's foresight and Fletcher's skills as a leader.
Yes, there is a fair amount of politics that still play into this. With that knowledge, if Berke wants to continue the positive momentum, he should take warning from the missteps of the school board to this point.
Do not offer up check-point dates that you do not meet. Saying a list of candidates will be available in, say, mid-June and then throwing them out there in August will make you look foolish and wasteful.
Do not name an interim chief, an action that, as in the school system search, will allow politics to become more important than the goal of finding a leader who can make change happen.
To that end, time is of the essence. Make the package attractive - the city needs a Fletcher-like hire more than it needs anything else right now - and do not spare expense or time.
With that, I say again, very impressive first move, Mayor.
I will miss the chief, but this first step lets me know this is a chief priority for you.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.