Is Baker fixin' to satisfy his hankering for status quo?

TROXLER E-mail: Click here Archive

By HOWARD TROXLER

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 15, 2001

Where I grew up, the word "fixing" often meant "about to," as in, "I'm fixin' to go to the store." But "fixing" also can mean to rig a contest or decision. Therefore, it can be said that the city of St. Petersburg is fixing to hire a police chief, and some people suspect that the fix is in.

It's not an illegal or unethical kind of fix, of course. Mayor Rick Baker is the strong chief executive, and he can hire anybody he durned (!) pleases. The question is whether Baker's process of seeking "community input" and conducting his "nationwide search" were so much window-dressing.

Out of 117 applications nationwide, Baker and his aides selected four finalists:

A former police chief of ... ta dah! St. Petersburg.

An assistant police chief of ... ta dah! St. Petersburg.

A guy from Nashville who, look, let's not kid anybody, isn't going to get the job.

A guy from Cleveland who is a finalist for a chief's job in another Ohio city.

In short, based on this short list, the odds of a local boy winning are, well, short.

Mack Vines, 62, was St. Petersburg's chief from 1974 to 1980. This time around, Baker asked Vines to survey community leaders about what St. Petersburg needs in a new chief. Vines decided we need Vines.

Chuck Harmon, 41, is assistant chief for patrol. He is one of three assistants to the current police chief, Goliath Davis III, who is ending his police career to work for the mayor.

The other two guys (and I do mean guys) still in the race are Luther Hunter, 51, who heads the school services division of the city of Nashville's Police Department, and Patrick Stephens, 54, a deputy chief in Cleveland. If either of these guys gets the job, I will buy the mayor a hot dog and dress it for him.

Rather than using an outside search firm, Baker did it the old-fashioned way. Baker, Davis, First Deputy Mayor Tish Elston and a couple of other high-ranking aides plowed through the applications. I can see them now, late at night, huddled over their desks:

BAKER (closing last manila folder): Well, there's all 117! I have used my vast expertise in Human Resources to cull these four.

ELSTON: Excellent going, mayor! The finest experts in personnel and law enforcement could not have done better! But I see that two of these are Vines and Harmon.

BAKER: Oh my, what a coincidence!

Let's be political here. The question is whether Baker wants a new chief who is going to rip up much of what was put in place by Davis, who was the city's first black police chief. Here is a hint: He doesn't. A stay-the-course fellow is more the ticket.

Unfortunately for Vines, some things in the way of baggage have cropped up. He went on to chiefships in Charlotte, N.C., Cape Coral and then Dallas. The Dallas thing ended not so good. He was fired after being indicted on charges of perjury involving an investigation into a police slaying. He was acquitted and tried to sue the city without success.

From 1991 to 1999, Vines was director of St. Petersburg Junior College's Southeastern Public Safety Institute. However, according to his personnel files, his evaluations went downhill, starting in the early years with "vision" and "global thinking" but ending with advice to get counseling for his temper.

Two strikes -- but not three.

Harmon, the youngest finalist, is a relatively blank slate. He has no known skeletons. He was promoted to his current rank by Davis. If the rank and file officers don't find him inspiring, neither are they threatening revolt. It sounds as though Baker is looking for Davis without Davis, keeping the old chief's changes in place, without his penchant for spitting matches and lawsuits.

There's a petition out in the community asking Baker to reopen this search. At least one rejected applicant is talking lawsuit. There are reports that many in the Police Department itself are not exactly inspired. All of this ignores the question: What if "inspiring" isn't what the mayor has in mind?

- You can reach Howard Troxler at (727) 893-8505 or at troxler@sptimes.com.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright