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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Havixbeck quits search for new police chief
Cites conflict with city CAO Sheegl
‘I questioned repeatedly whether it would be by consensus and I was told it would not’ -- Charleswood-Tuxedo Coun. Paula Havixbeck
The city councillor responsible for the Winnipeg Police Service has resigned from the committee in charge of selecting the next police chief, citing conflict with Winnipeg's top civil servant.
Charleswood-Tuxedo Coun. Paula Havixbeck, who chairs council's protection and community services committee, wrote Mayor Sam Katz and other members of executive policy committee earlier this month to tell them she will no longer serve on the panel responsible for hiring the successor to outgoing chief Keith McCaskill.
Havixbeck said she did not agree with the selection process employed by the committee under the leadership of Phil Sheegl, the city's chief administrative officer.
"I questioned repeatedly whether it would be by consensus and I was told it would not," Havixbeck said Monday.
"The process is not going to be by consensus, so I disagreed with that part of it."
McCaskill plans to retire in December after five years at the helm of the Winnipeg Police Service. The city plans to name a successor this fall, corporate support services director Linda Burch said in a statement.
The committee struck to hire that replacement included Sheegl, Havixbeck, Burch, chief financial officer Mike Ruta and chief operations officer Deepak Joshi, with input from a headhunting firm, Havixbeck said. Her departure leaves the hiring committee with no formal council input.
Earlier this month, sources told the Free Press the search for a new chief was down to two internal candidates: superintendents Dave Thorne and Devin Clunis. Both are well-respected, veteran officers, with 31 and 25 years of service, respectively.
Havixbeck declined to comment on a short list, insisting anything she learned during her time on the police-chief selection committee is confidential.
However, she said she was unhappy with the work of what she described as a sole-sourced headhunting firm and the fact her input would not have been taken into account by Sheegl.
"I'll be happy to work with whoever he decides is going to be our chief, as chair of protection and community services," she said. "In the end, it may be a good decision, it may not be."
Sheegl is on holidays and was not available to comment Monday, said Steve West, communications manager for the City of Winnipeg.
Katz is also in the midst of the last week of his summer holiday. His office declined to comment Monday.
Other members of executive policy committee, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the conflict between Havixbeck and Sheegl as a personality issue.
"There's blood on both their hands, as far as I'm concerned," said one EPC member.
Criticizing Sheegl can be complicated for any member of council, given the CAO's close friendship with Katz.
Since the mayor can't distance himself from Sheegl's decisions, some councillors fear criticism of the CAO may force Katz, who does not like being cornered, into an entrenched policy position.
Katz and the rest of council return to city hall next week after a seven-week summer break.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 28, 2012 A7
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