ROCHESTER — City councilors during their special meeting on Tuesday night voted 9 to 4 in favor of adding a charter amendment to the ballot in November that would abolish the city’s police commission.
The amendment, if passed, will take effect Jan. 1, 2012.
Before the vote, some councilors like Peter Lachapelle, voiced their dissatisfaction with the amendment and stated why they wouldn’t be voting in favor of it.
“When are you going to listen to what the voters want?” Lachapelle said. “I’m mind-boggled that we’re even discussing this again.”
Lachapelle said the police department is different from other city departments in that they have arresting power. He also said the council has enough work as it is without taking on the added responsibilities of managing the police department.
Councilor Chuck Grassie also said he is opposed to the amendment, as he feels the current two-year term limits of the commissioners makes them more responsive to the needs of the public.
Councilor John Larochelle reiterated his argument from the council’s Aug. 2 meeting that voters have spoken previously on the issue, and that he considers it dead.
Councilor Elaine Lauterborn also decided to vote against adding the amendment to the ballot.
Other members of the council, such as Mayor T.J. Jean, said the issue is not a matter of members of the council wanting to intervene in the managing of the department, as some members of the public think, but simply feels the commission is unnecessary under the city manager form of government.
“I know the police department is going to be just fine under the police chief and under the oversight of the city manager and the council,” said Jean.
Jean, as well as Councilor Raymond Varney, said the measure would help them to better handle the department’s budget and how it authorizes salary increases.
Councilor Alan Reed-Erickson said he would vote to put it on the budget to let the citizens have their say.
Before the discussion, the council held a public hearing on the matter and heard from members of the police commission, Chairman Lucien Levesque, Vice Chair Al Bemis and Commissioner James McManus, as well as Rochester Police Chief David Dubois.
Levesque reminded the council of the commission’s achievements, such as ward-based policing, a more friendly atmosphere in the police department’s lobby, and a more aggressive training program.
He said the goals of the commission are the goals of the people and he would rather see the two governing bodies work together for the good of making Rochester a better, safer community.
“Lets communicate with one another; lets stop trying to eliminate something because we don’t agree with it,” Levesque said.
Chief Dubois said the commission adds transparency, keeps the public better informed with what the department does, and holds them to a higher standard of accountability.
He said the rate of crime reduction, case closure rates and apprehension rates far exceed state and regional averages, and the police commission contributes to that record.
The council also heard from members of the public about their thoughts on the amendment from both sides of the argument.
“I, for one, am in favor of the police commission because they’ve helped me out one time,” said resident Richard Williams. “They’re very good people on that board and the public is smart for getting those people elected.”
Williams said he disagrees that City Manager Daniel Fitzpatrick should administer the police department as he does other municipal departments because there’s more power in numbers, and if the city manager took over, “it’s like the cashier cashing himself out.”
Kathleen Levesque, a resident related to the Police Commission chair, said the council serves as a firewall between the government and the department’s command force. She said having such checks and balances in place is good “Jeffersonian democracy.”
“What you’re doing here is removing one of those checks and balances,” said Kathleen Levesque.
She also said the police commission works 100 hours a year, a workload the city manager might not have time for, and if the council were to make any changes to the commission, it should change term limits to four years from the current limit of two.
Later in the meeting, Robert Gates, president of the Rochester Concerned Taxpayers Association, spoke in favor of putting the amendment on the ballot to let the members of the public who are both for and against the commission articulate their argument.
“Let’s have a public discussion about this. If this is import enough to have concern about their validity brought up, I’d would say it’s important enough to put on the ballot,” Gates said.
