By Patrick Adrian
[email protected]
Editor’s Note: In the article published in the July 18 Weekend edition of the Eagle Times, it was incorrectly stated that Mario Checchi is a former Bellows Falls police officer, when in fact he is still employed but his K-9 unit was cut from the budget.
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. — Interviews with candidates for Bellows Falls police chief will begin next week, according to Bellows Falls Village Trustee James McAuliffe.
McAuliffe, who chairs the search committee, told the Board of Trustees on Tuesday that the committee has narrowed its list from 10 total applicants to six finalists. The committee hopes to divide the interviews over two days next week, with three scheduled on Monday and three on Thursday.
“So things are moving forward and hopefully we’re getting closer,” McAuliffe said.
The position has been vacant since the resignation of former Bellows Falls Police Chief Ron Lake in March.
The Bellows Falls Police Department has been in a state of turmoil for several months. Lake is facing sexual allegations by the village’s former police dispatcher, Alisha Beam, a 17-year employee who departed shortly after Lake. Beam has filed a suit against Lake, Bellows Falls Police Officer Mario Checchi, the village of Bellows Falls and the town of Rockingham.
The complaint, filed on March 23 in the U.S. District Court, includes claims of sexual harassment, defamation and an intentional infliction of emotional distress. Beam also alleges that former Municipal Manager Wendy Harrison failed to follow through on a promise to investigate Beam’s grievances.
Search committees aren’t commonly used to hire police chiefs, but Bellows Falls wanted to strengthen its vetting of the next chief, Village President Debra Wright told the Eagle Times on Friday.
The village formed a search committee composed of community members to strengthen its vetting of its next police chief, Village President Debra Wright told the Eagle Times.
“Between the lawsuit, the loss of our chief and loss of our dispatcher, we can’t stress the importance of finding a good police chief for our community,” Wright said.
The search committee, whose task is to provide recommendations for hire to the municipal manager, includes a diversity of community stakeholders: two village trustees, McAuliffe and Jeff Dunbar; Acting Village Manager Chuck Wise; Walpole Police Chief Michael Paquette; Windham County State’s Attorney Tracy Kelly Shriver; Trevor Whipple of the Vermont League of City and Towns; Michael Malick of Greater Falls Community Justice Center; and local business owners Jill Jamse of Chroma Technology and Julian Johnson of Jamaican Jewelz Catering.
But Wright also expressed concerns about the final decision of the hire and who will make it.
The municipal manager, by law, is ultimately responsible to decide the police chief hire. Wise said on Tuesday he does not wish to be the decider and will defer to whoever the committee recommends.
“I understand the legal ramifications,” Wise told the board. “But we have a concern in our community that the next chief shows the leadership the community wants. I can’t overstate the importance of having a group of citizens select our new chief.”
Wright said she’s troubled by Wise’s comments because the committee doesn’t have the authority to select the hire, only to recommend.
“If he is not going to make that decision, he needs to defer the recommendation to the Board of Trustees,” Wright said.
Such a decision would require a vote of all members of the board, since the two members serving on the committee do not represent a majority, Wright said.
The Eagle Times attempted to reach Wise by phone and email for an interview, but did not receive a reply at the publication deadline.
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