Fort Myers mayor concerned over police chief rejection: ‘Would have been a good fit’

In a 4-to-3 vote, council members rejected City Manager Marty Lawing’s choice for police chief, and the mayor fears this looks problematic for the other candidates.

Lawings has searched for a successor to the late Police Chief Derrick Diggs for the past four months.

“Well, I thought that the city manager had put a lot of time and effort into choosing a candidate, and he was deserving of having the council respect that decision,” said Fred Burson, a council member of the city of Fort Myers.

Mayor Kevin Anderson told WINK News he thinks the city let a good man get away. Anderson also fears rejecting one candidate will send the wrong message to future candidates.

“The one he brought forward, I thought was highly qualified. And I think he would have been a good fit,” Anderson said.

Councilmen Liston Bouchette and Fred Burson agree.

“I thought that the city manager had put a lot of time and effort into choosing a candidate, and he was deserving of having the council respect that decision,” Burson said.

Anderson believes it’s the city manager’s job to select the chief, and the four members who voted to reject his choice were out of line.

“I got a phone call this morning from a police chief who said, ‘Mayor, would you tell me why a qualified police chief would want to apply for your agency now?'” Anderson said, “‘If they’re aware of the fact that you had a highly qualified candidate, who was dismissed, for no valid reason whatsoever, why would another qualified chief want to apply for this position? That concerns me.'”

Council members Terolyn Watson, Johnny Streets, Teresa Watkins and Darla Bonk voted against the city manager’s choice.

“We said that we wanted a candidate, the best we could find that had police chief experience,” Streets said.

“How does the public give a comment and have their opportunity and three minutes to talk about the candidate if they are not even told who the candidate is until the time of the vote? So that was a major red flag for me,” Bonk said.

Many are wondering what’s next.

“That all depends on what approach that city manager wants to take,” Anderson said, “Is he comfortable now bringing one of the other three forward after last night’s showing? Or is he going to start over? Maybe he’ll go back to that list and bring more candidates forward. I don’t know, it’s all guesswork on my part right now. It’s because it’s his call.”