New Dudley police sergeant appointed based on seniority

Corrections to this article are posted 8-31-12

Janet Stoica
Patriot Correspondent

DUDLEY - Questions remain for the general public as to why the Board of Selectmen, at their last meeting, chose to appoint James Hutchinson as the new Dudley Police sergeant over the recommendation of the independent police chiefs’ panel. The independent panel’s recommendation was Marek Karlowicz. The three-member committee was made up of police chiefs from northern Worcester County and selectmen had voted to have the group established to interview, review, and recommend their choice of a new sergeant. Police Chief Wojnar also wanted a fair and independent process.

When Sergeant Pamela Daniels announced her retirement in September 2011, Selectmen voted to have an outside committee make recommendations for her replacement.  Police Chief Wojnar suggested a committee made up of outside police chiefs to save the Town money versus using an assessment center which would have cost several thousand dollars. The three candidates considered by the panel were: Chandler Boyd, James Hutchinson, and Marek Karlowicz. The panel had recommended Mr. Karlowicz, and Chief Wojnar’s practice is to accept the committee’s recommendation.

At the August 20 selectmen’s meeting, however, member John Marsi made the motion to appoint Mr. Hutchinson based on seniority, stating that “my father was a long-term employee in another town and it’s good to know that seniority stands for something.” All members were not unanimous in their original vote, but after a brief discussion and amendment, the appointment became unanimous. According to the Police Chief, the selectmen are the final appointing authority.

After the meeting, selectman Peter Fox was asked why the board did not go along with the independent panel’s recommendations and he responded that the decision was made in Executive Session and since those minutes were not yet approved for release to the public, he could not elaborate. Due to the upcoming Labor Day holiday, the board will not meet again until Monday, September 10, and, therefore, those minutes will not be released until then.