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AP To Form Police Chief Search Committee

By Douglas Carman | Highlands Today

Published: January 16, 2008

AVON PARK — The Avon Park City Council decided to form a seven-member committee to recommend a new police chief from the 61 applications the city received.

In creating the committee, the council decided to fill the police chief's position before they found a new city manager, using the committee's recommendations to help interim City Manager Sarah Adelt pick out Frank Mercurio's successor.

The city has not begun advertising for the city manager's position.

Mayor Sharon Schuler suggested creating the committee to go through the "plethora" of candidates.

"We need to push forward on this," Schuler said. All of the council members agreed with her.

"We're going to find out that a good number of those (applicants) are going to take positions in other departments" if they wait on them, council member George Hall added.

City Attorney Gerald Buhr, after hearing a complaint from former Mayor Tom Macklin, determined that the council could legally form the committee but the council could not directly hire the police chief.

The Avon Park Police Department's head position has been open since September, after then-chief Mercurio was asked to resign by then-city manager C.B. Shirey. Earlier this month, Shirey was transferred to become the Avon Park Executive Airport's manager, while APPD Cmdr. Michael Rowan, acting as the chief, announced that he was running for the sheriff's office.

Hall told Highlands Today outside of Monday's council meeting that Rowan's announcement in late December that he was running for sheriff was also one of the reasons the council put the committee together.

Possible Members

The council appointed county officials, law enforcement authorities and civic leaders to the committee. The council told Adelt to call them and ask if they would volunteer for the committee.

The possible members suggested by the council Monday include: