For those wondering what the next Big News might be following the anticlimactic St. Petersburg mayoral primary, that shoe dropped: St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon announced his resignation. The Times headline may speak more volumes than any story or post ever could…
Battered in mayoral election, St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon to retire
It is the story not so much of Chuck Harmon, but of the St. Petersburg mayoral election itself.
The first — and probably the most important — way to view this seismic story is to recognize that Chief Harmon confirmed his retirement to the staff of the Tampa Bay Times before he even told Mayor Foster, his own boss. This now makes the incumbent mayor’s staffing problems a trend. In May of this year, Foster lost Wayne Finley, a high-level grants officer, to Hillsborough County, and Lori Matway, the city education and government services chief, to the Pinellas County School system.
At the time, Foster — as well as members of the City Council — were disappointed they learned the news of the Matway and Finley departures via the Tampa Bay Times.
In one regard, this puts challenger Rick Kriseman in a strange position. Between now and Election Day, he will have little choice but to watch as Foster conducts the search to replace Harmon. Kriseman said he would prefer a nation-wide search for a replacement, as did Foster. But Foster also said he would consider appointing one of two deputies within the department.
Kriseman, of course, is presented with something of an opportunity as well — being able to talk about a critically important, complex issue facing this campaign. Issues of crime, public safety, and policing are on the minds of more people than conventional wisdom might suggest. After all, the racially-charged St. Petersburg riots were less than twenty years ago. Chief Harmon’s resignation brings this to the forefront of the campaign in a profound way.
Kriseman has said he believes in community policing, a model effectively scrapped by Harmon a few years ago (and one of the reasons he says he was “battered” in this campaign). One could presume Foster supports Harmon’s current method of policing, but since they apparently didn’t talk very much, who could say.
For his part, Foster has a narrow line to walk — and a tough job. Recent polling shows Kriseman tied with Foster, and even a bit ahead. If you’re in, say, Phoenix, and you’re looking for a job as Chief of Police, would you take a new gig knowing that you might have a new boss in a few weeks?
We’re only just understanding the implications of Chief Harmon’s resignation. Watch for more as the campaigns respond and maneuver.
