Chief hiring question on agenda

Grand Coulee’s Civil Service Commission chair said this week that there has been no explanation of why Mayor Chris Christopherson asked that the hiring of a police chief be placed on the agenda for the commission’s Aug. 6 meeting.

Alan Cain, who chairs the three-member board, said that it is his position that the process of hiring a new police chief should go through the commission.

The past two police chiefs have gone through the Civil Service Commission before being hired.

The issue came up during Grand Coulee’s last council meeting and council members David Tylor and Paul Townsend had asked Christopherson if the council would be involved in hiring the replacement for Mel Hunt, who retires Oct. 1.

His response at the time wasn’t definitive and the question still remains. He had stated that he wanted to confer with the city’s attorney.

Will the process be disclosed at the CSC meeting a week from Monday?

Both the two council members and Cain had stated that the hiring of a police chief was too important to be left to one man.

A call to Christopherson was not returned.