Respondents Divided on Police Chief Poll

Citizens of San Angelo will be asked once again this year to take to the polls and vote on whether they'd like to continue electing or hae the city begin appointing their chief of police. 

The matter was continually discussed through several public Charter Review Committee meetings; however, when the ballot language arose in discussion in council chambers last month, a change made that citizens and some city council members retrospectively wish they could take back. That change includes a provision naming incumbent chief Tim Vasquez as the city's first appointee if the citizens vote to move toward an appointed system. 

What wasn't considered is whether the ballot, as currently written, can even answer the question on what citizens want. The police chief last election won by 64 percent, fairly high margin. Still, there were those who would have preferred to see his opponent take office. If there are citizens out there who would prefer to move to an appointed system but wish to see the applicant pool opened to outsiders, how do they vote?

In a recent survey conducted by San Angelo LIVE!, 213 respondents were given the option to choose between keeping the elected system in place, moving to an appointed system, and moving to an appointed system with an open applicant pool. 

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The results of that survey showed overwhelming support for keeping the chief of police an elected position, garnering 73.24 percent of the responses, or 156 votes. Another 41 people (19.25 percent) said they'd like to move to an appointed system, but preferred to see the applicant pool left open, while 7.51 percent, or 16 people, voted for appointed, meant to include the appointment of our current chief. 

The real decision, however, will be made on Nov. 3, when voters take to the polls to decide this and other matters stemming from the Charter Review Committee.