Common Council: Do the Right Thing

COMMENTARY

It's as simple as this.

If Acting Chief Patrick McMahon is not an appropriate, qualified candidate for Chief of the Middletown Police Department, the Common Council should reject him.  But not without reason.

If there are not verifiable, legitimate reasons to reject McMahon, then the Council should appoint him.

There's plenty of evidence that McMahon is a qualified, tested and experienced choice.  He has been in place for thirteen months.  He has, by all certifiable accounts, performed well.  He's been praised by the very Council who will consider his appointment for his department's performance during several crucial crises in town.  He has been declared qualified by some of the Council members who rejected his candidacy on the grounds of "process."

If any Council member has legitimate evidence that McMahon is not qualified, or that there is some behavioral problem or that there is some yet-to-be-revealed problem in the department which McMahon is responsible for, then that Council member owes it to the public to make that evidence known.  That Council member also owes McMahon the right to defend himself against any charges made in public, or in private.

What is not legitimate is for the Council to reject McMahon on the basis of speculation, innuendo or confidential testimony.  It is not legitimate for the Council to reject McMahon because they don't like him, because they don't agree with him, because they don't like the Mayor who appointed him, or the party that mayor belongs to.  It's not legitimate for the Council to reject McMahon because of his age, his heritage, his place of birth, his race or where he worships, or doesn't worship. It's not legitimate for the Council to reject his candidacy because he's not "their guy."

My fear, is that that majority, which rejected him once because of "the process" will now latch onto some technicality to try to legitimize their rejection.  They will quibble about his hiring of acting sergeants because it may have violated a debatable line of charter ordinance.  Or they will claim he is inexperienced in negotiating union contracts.  Or they will charge that he violated a Council resolution by instituting an experimental four on, two off schedule.  Or they will say he does not respect the fiduciary authority of the Council.   Or they will raise the issue of residency, when they dismissed the importance of residency in hiring another chief.  My fear is that they will cite these reasons, though they didn't cite them in his first appointment hearing, because they don't have a real reason, a legitimate reason, to reject him.

Maybe my fears are unfounded.  Maybe the Council will embrace the streamlined process, recognize the chief's qualifications and appoint him.  Or maybe they will reveal some negative aspect or the chief's character or performance and reject him legitimately.

The Common Council owes the city, its residents, the Police Department and all its officers, and the candidate himself the courtesy of making the right decision for the right reasons.

If McMahon is not right for Middletown, tell us why.  Otherwise, sign him up, and let's get on with the business of running a city in difficult economic times.