Damariscotta isn’t going to rush the selection of its next police chief.
“I, frankly, am not in a hurry,” Town Manager Greg Zinser said at a July 6 meeting of the Board of Selectmen.
“We’re getting a lot of compliments on the police department” under the direction of acting Police Chief Chad Andrews, Zinser said. “As far as the day to day operations, he’s doing a great job.”
“I met him on the street the other day,” Selectman Vicki Pinkham said. “I couldn’t believe it. Walking.”
The perceived lack of foot patrols at the department in the past has been identified as an issue for some citizens and town officials.
Zinser, despite his confidence in the department’s current leadership, said he’s drafted a job description, as well as a request for proposals (RFP) for a management study.
“I would definitely want to see the study before we put out for a new chief,” Pinkham said.
“We really do need to have a police chief,” Zinser said, but first, “We really need to understand what we want in the police chief” and “what it is we’re looking for in the local police department.”
McLean will continue as chairman, assisted by Vice Chairman Dave Wilbur and 2nd Vice Chairman David Atwater.
McLean and Pinkham, who are running for a three-year term, tied in the June 14 election.
