If Buell resigns, who will be chief?

If Mandeville Police Chief Tom Buell decides to retire, who will take his place?

According to the city’s Home Rule Charter, the mayor is responsible for appointing the police chief. But Mayor Pro Tem Trilby Lenfant has ideas of her own.

Instead of appointing someone local, Lenfant thinks it would be in Mandeville’s best interest to perform a statewide, if not nationwide, search for the next chief.

“We need to have a very transparent selection process,” Lenfant said. “I think it’s an attractive position that can attract some fine talent.”

Attractive indeed.

Buell currently pulls in $98,000 a year, but that’s after 35 years as chief.

Technically, no one has a say so other than the mayor as to who the next chief will be, but Lenfant is proposing “some kind of blue ribbon committee to assist in the selection.”

It’s going to take a candidate from the outside, Lenfant said, to help rebuild “internal issues” and eliminate any politicking by local officials.

She said she met with Mayor Eddie Price once already about the idea and plans to meet with him again because Price isn’t in favor of it, Lenfant said.

Price could not be reached for comment by press time.

All of this hinges on Buell retiring, which could take place soon if certain conditions and agreements can be met between Buell and the city. Thursday morning Buell said he was meeting with his two lawyers to go over the terms of his possible retirement.

“We got the paperwork from the city attorney, and we’re trying to work out some agreements concerning holiday pay and other issues,” Buell said, adding he expects to make a decision in the next two weeks.

Buell also said he’s uncertain what he will do if he does retire.

“I haven’t gone out looking because I didn’t expect to have to leave. I’d like to stay involved with the city,” he said.

But holding Buell back from seeking employment elsewhere are the federal and state investigations into Buell’s involvement with taking money from the police department’s charitable organization, the Citizen’s Service Fund.

“It’s not fair for me to go and look for something until those (investigations) are finished,” he said.

As far as Lenfant’s idea of a national search for the next chief, Buell sees the good and bad with the idea.

He said he’s seen other departments struggle with recruiting out of town talent, but on the flip side, other departments have flourished.

“The problem with recruiting from elsewhere is you don’t know anything at all about that person’s true background,” Buell said.

He also said Mandeville poses a problem for future chiefs because of the “quasi-urban city” environment it has grown into. In fact, Buell admitted that has been his downfall.

Residents want to retain the small town atmosphere, but because of the city’s growth, Buell said he’s had to recruit outsiders onto his force, which proved troublesome because those new hires wouldn’t accept the small town policing methods.