Martinez Council Member Hopes Interim Police Chief Will Rescind Resignation

After the acting police chief in Martinez resigned this week in the middle of the search process for a permanent chief, one city council member said today she hopes he will reverse course and keep his hat in the ring.

Council member Laura DeLaney said she hopes Interim Police Chief Eric Ghisletta will rescind his decision to resign. “I’m actually holding out hope that his resignation isn’t final,” DeLaney said.

“I think (his decision to resign) has had a terrible impact on morale, both with the Martinez Police Department and with City Hall and with the community.”

Ghisletta announced his resignation on Tuesday morning, according to Martinez City Manager Rob Braulik. Braulik said Ghisletta’s last day on the job would be June 25.

The 25-year veteran of the force resigned just as the City Council was in the process of vetting finalists in a search for a permanent police chief. Ghisletta took over as interim chief when the city’s previous police chief, Gary Peterson, went on medical leave around January 2014.

Peterson tendered his resignation several months later, Mayor Rob Schroder said.

Ghisletta was appointed as the interim chief because the council was preoccupied with finding a new city manager, according to Schroder. Council members voted to hire a consulting firm for $25,000 and invite external candidates to apply for the police chief position, Schroder said.

On Tuesday, roughly a dozen people criticized the council for not appointing Ghisletta sooner, which Schroder said was an issue that also came out during the November municipal elections.

“I expected (the comments) because it was really an issue during the election,” Schroder said. “He grew up in town. My wife went to grammar school with him. I’ve known him for years and I think he would have made a great chief.”

Although he said it was a change in the way the city usually does business he felt the search process “was the right thing to do.”

The city hasn’t conducted a formal search for a police chief in roughly 20 years, Schroder said.

“We’ve promoted from within for years,” Schroder said. “It’s time to get out there and have a competitive process.”

Schroder’s perspective prevailed and the council ultimately hired a headhunting firm, which selected seven finalists. One has already dropped out of the running, Schroder said.

The council then voted earlier this month to give the city manager the authority to hire and fire the police chief. Less than two weeks after that vote, Ghisletta resigned.

Ghisletta did not return requests for comment about his resignation, but Schroder said he cited personal and family reasons for stepping down.

DeLaney declined to say why Ghisletta resigned, although she said she knew his reasons.

DeLaney said Ghisletta, a Martinez native, would have been a natural fit for the job, but she wasn’t surprised about his decision.

“I understood his reasoning and I was very saddened by the news,” DeLaney said. “I think it’s really unfortunate for the city.”

While many residents criticized the council for interfering with the search process by giving the city manager new authority to hire and fire the police chief, Schroder said that change wouldn’t take place until after the permanent chief is hired.

Schroder said he expects the search process for the new police chief to take at least another 30 to 60 days.

--Bay City News

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