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Atherton Police Chief Mike Guerra is leaving the post he has held since November 2009, in a department he has served since 1985.
He is being replaced on an interim basis, effective July 18, by former Santa Rosa police chief Ed Flint, the interim city manager announced July 11.
Mr. Guerra’s last day as chief will be Friday, July 15.
In an unusual arrangement, Chief Guerra will stay on with the town until April, not as police chief but performing specific projects, essentially pro bono, while being paid from the pool of money he accumulated from vacation and other leave time, according to Interim City Manager John Danielson.
“He’s really being kind to us,” Mr. Danielson said. “He’s got so much time on the books that if he cashed it all out it would be kind of devastating for us.”
The projects will be “meaningful,” such as working on “best management practices” policies and a records-management system for the police department, Mr. Danielson said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Danielson has appointed Mr. Flint, who also worked as police chief in Elk Grove for some time, as interim police chief to run the department, which he expects will remain operational long into the future, despite calls for outsourcing.
“I absolutely, unequivocally, completely have no interest whatsoever, nor has the council put any pressure on me whatsoever, in outsourcing the police department,” Mr. Danielson said.
That said, he and the council want to streamline the department and reduce costs, he noted. He will ask the union representing the police to reopen contract talks and will seek concessions in the neighborhood of $200,000 a year, he said.
Chief Guerra is the third police chief to leave the position since August 2008, when Bob Brennan retired. His successor, Glenn Nielsen, was appointed by then-city manager Jerry Gruber, retired after only about 14 months in the post, leaving town with a large cash payout for unused vacation time.
Chief Guerra’s current annual base salary is about $171,300, and his total compensation last fiscal year was about $274,700, according to Finance Director Louise Ho. The latter figure includes about $25,100 of vacation cash out, she said.
Mr. Flint will make $14,500 per month, with no benefits, according to Deputy City Clerk Theresa DellaSanta.
Mr. Danielson said he chose to hire an interim police chief because he himself is in his post on an interim basis, and the appointment of a permanent chief would best be left for the permanent manager who will succeed him.
In a written statement, Mr. Danielson said the new interim chief has logged about 35 years of multi-agency law enforcement experience. He began his law enforcement career with the California Highway Patrol in Redwood City, and later moved to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, where he worked up through the ranks to captain. His career includes a stint as assistant police chief in Citrus Heights.
Mr. Flint also served active duty in the Army, and in the Army Reserves and California National Guard, Mr. Danielson said.
Good luck Atherton.
Flint was appointed chief in Santa Rosa in January 2004. He lasted four years. According to the Press Democrat Santa Rosa’s city manager said Flint left his post by “mutual agreement” in August 2008.
Four gender-based discrimination complaints had been filed against Flint and two against one of his captains. The city paid the six complainants a total of more than $120,000 to resolve their cases, according to the Press Democrat.
Atherton will be paying Flint $14,500 a month and no benefits.
http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_18458867?nclick_check=1
This is a great appointment – a true professional with no interest in a long term job.
Danielson, Connors and Flint will make a great team. Look for real change soon.
So much for Carpenter outsourcing the Police Dept to the Sheriff’s Office !
The first step in deciding how to restructure the Town’s police services is to have a top notch management team. With Danielson, Conners and Flint we have the best management team that the Town has had in over 20 years. They will deal with the problem of providing high quality police services at an acceptable cost – how they decide to achieve that goal will be up to them.
Peter how can you insist that Flint is “true professional” and a “great appointment?” To be a “true professional” I guess you need need to be a professional gender-discriminator and then asked to leave your job as a result of your “true professional” actions.
Of course he doesn’t have any interest in a long-term job, with all that baggage he’s always ready to be booted out the door.
Then again we are talking about Atherton so I guess he’s the perfect fit.
There is NO evidence that Flint engaged in gender discrimination.
It is irresponsible to continue to allege that he did. The reporting on his “background” has been classic and irresponsible muckraking.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat July 4, 2008
“Several current and former Police Department employees described Flint as taking an inordinate amount of time making decisions, playing favorites, spreading gossip and private information, and saying inappropriate things.
In one notable example, a high-ranking Latino manager confronted Flint at a team-building workshop several years ago by asking the chief to stop calling him “Julio Iglesias,” a reference to the employee’s ethnic background and style of attire.”
In June 2008 Flint himself said severe strife has made his department dysfunctional.
As to the complaints filed – Flint was named in all four complaints filed since January 2007 that contended discrimination and retaliation against employees based on gender and sexual orientation.
Bob continues to parrot allegations – he has yet to provide evidence of proven gender discrimination by Flint.
Ever hear of the old fashioned concept of innocent until proven guilty?
Or does Bob prefer the lynch mob approach to justice?
How would Bob feel is someone published an unproven allegation about his behavior and treated it as a fact?
To balance out the unsupported allegations that Bob has posted above here is a first person account of Ed Flint’s tenure as Santa Rosa’s Police Chief:
”
Published: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 3:40 a.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 5:05 a.m.
Making a difference
EDITOR: I have had the honor to be a volunteer in policing for the Santa Rosa Police Department for almost eight years. In that time I have known and worked with two police chiefs.
In the last 4½ years, I have had the good fortune of knowing and working with Ed Flint. He is one of the nicest and most honest people I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with. As far as I am concerned, he took a great department and made it better.
There isn’t an agency or company out there in which the employees are going to agree 100 percent of the time with the person in command or the head of a company. These people are paid to make the best decisions they can in whatever field they are working
To Ed, my dear friend, I wish you the best in the future. You made a difference for us, and you will make a difference wherever you go. There are many people in the department who care and wish you well. You made a difference, and that is what the Santa Rosa Police Department is all about.
ROZ MORRIS”
Atherton is fortunate to have someone with Flint’s professional experience and skills as our interim Police Chief.
More first person testimony on Ed Flint’s service as the Police Chief of Santa Rosa:
”
Published: Monday, July 7, 2008 at 3:41 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, July 7, 2008 at 5:49 a.m.
Flint admired
EDITOR: I was among those saddened to read of Chief Ed Flint’s decision to resign. It was important for our city manager to provide, as he did, a balance of perspective to the chief’s service record with our city by citing some of the positive accomplishments of his leadership.
I would add one more: Flint’s support for our law enforcement chaplaincy service. The chief’s presence at special chaplaincy functions, such as our academy graduations, has always been a much appreciated boost of encouragement. His willingness to speak to the throngs of high school parents and students at the various “Every 15 Minutes” assemblies always helped to underscore the seriousness of drinking and driving.
He spoke from his own experience of having lost two close family members to drunk drivers. His affableness quickly gained an admiration from many within the Santa Rosa Police Department and from many in the community at-large.
His faithful watch over our city is well-deserving of our debt of thanks.
ROD BOWMAN
Pastor, Westview
Christian Church, Santa Rosa”
Rather than relying on Bob’s cherry picked excerpt I suggest you read the whole Santa Rosa Press Democrat story:
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080704/NEWS/807040330?p=all&tc=pgall
For example:
“When he was hired, Flint had to confront major budget and personnel issues, as well as a rising crime rate and a department in which the most experienced officers had retired or were in the process of doing so.
Sawyer praised Flint for reducing crime and tackling traffic problems in the city. “He was the man at the time, to do the job we needed him to do,” Sawyer said.”
“He was, to his supporters, a cop’s cop, a man who’d done hard work in the trenches of law enforcement and in the military and was unabashed about leading his troops into battle.”
I did not interpret Bob’s post that cited past articles on Mr. Flint’s problems in other cities as muckraking. Referencing past allegations (even if unproven) to the attention of reader’s on this forum is no more a lynch mob mentality than someone using this forum to make assertions of Brown Act violations. We are all innocent until proven guilty.
For the record, I don’t see any conflict with the interim appointment of Mr. Flint since the allegations were unproven but it should be noted that Bob’s post did not state that the assertions were true only that they happened.
Thomas – When I make allegations I do so publicly and using my own name.
I am accountable for what I state.
When anonymous people pick and choose defamatory statements made by others about a public figure their very choice of statements shows their bias and constitutes an allegation. The phrase “Fair Balance” comes to mind. I doubt that “Bob” has any interest in fair balance.
When all else fails, the old Carpenter standby that posters need to use their full names for any sort of credibility even when citing independent articles published by a reputable news source. Bob is entitled to his opinion whether or not readers agree with it. The Almanac has the final word on what is considered defamation and improper commentary and the fact that Bob posts regularly on this forum and is a resident of Menlo Park does not demonstrate any reason for an unfavorable bias towards Mr. Flint’s appointment.
Peter
You are so full of yourself it borders on paranoia.
I’m just stating the other side of the issue, the side you choose to ignore.
In any case welcome to “your” new chief. I’m sure his Julio Inglesias comments will serve him well in profiling the local Hispanic residents.
By the way Peter, if that is your real name, whenever you post a comment you are cherry picking.
And please we are all tired of your use of the registered user refrain whenever you disagree with someone.
Have a good day Peter.
Editor
I suggest you remove the first sentence of my previous comment addressed to Peter. As much as I agree with the line it’s best to delete it.
Thanks