By J.J. Huggins
Staff writer
May 09, 2008 12:30 am METHUEN — Several city councilors yesterday pointed to acting police Chief Katherine Lavigne as the person most capable of healing the Police Department in the aftermath of the firing of Chief Joseph Solomon. City Councilor Kenneth Willette went so far as to say "it's almost a foregone conclusion" that Mayor William Manzi will appoint her to succeed Solomon who was fired on Wednesday. "She's certainly somebody worthy of consideration here," Manzi said. But the choice is "not determined yet," the mayor declared. The mayor will appoint the next chief, and the City Council will vote to confirm or deny the appointment. That will happen "in relatively short order," Manzi said. The department has been under federal scrutiny for its spending of grant money since 2006. In December 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice demanded repayment of $170,000 in grants, saying it was misspent on overtime for supervising officers, including Solomon. Manzi fired Solomon based on a report berating Solomon for casting himself as a victim, failing to own up to his mistakes and trying to damage the reputation of others. Lavigne stepped in to serve as acting chief when Manzi put Solomon on paid leave Sept. 28. The mayor said Lavigne has "done a wonderful job." The only person other than Lavigne to express interest in the Methuen chief's job is North Andover police Chief Richard Stanley, Manzi said. "I have spoken to him and will speak to him again before I make a decision," the mayor said. Stanley was out of state on police business yesterday and declined to comment when contacted. Methuen officials are asking the state to let them take the chief's job out of civil service. That way, the city could hire the new chief on a contract, which would make it easier for them to fire the person if they need to. Solomon was a civil service chief, which meant he was protected by civil service rules that made it more difficult to be terminated. Solomon is appealing his termination to the Civil Service Commission. For now, he remains fired and is no longer collecting a paycheck, but the commission could overrule the mayor's decision. Several councilors said they would like the next chief to have a two-year contract. Lavigne could agree with that, she said. "Of course I'd prefer the usual three-year contract," Lavigne said. "But if two years is what it takes, I'd be willing to consider that because I'd know I can prove myself in two years. Hopefully, the next contract would be longer." City councilors praised Lavigne. "As long as the next chief doesn't fall under civil service, I've got no problem giving Kathy Lavigne a shot," said council Chairman Philip Lahey Jr. "The consensus is, she just might be able to handle it. I think between her and Capt. (Thomas) Fram, they might be able to mend some of the wounds in the Police Department. They seem to be working pretty well together as the two top cops." "I can tell she is making some positive changes and the Police Department is a lot better since she has been there," said Councilor John Cronin. "I think Tommy Fram would make a good chief, too." Councilor Joseph Leone said Lavigne has done a good job so far. She met with all the councilors and asked them what they thought she should do to improve things in the Police Department. "I know that the suggestions that I made were taken seriously and followed," Leone said. Councilor Jennifer Kannan said she had a meeting with residents concerned about crime, and she was pleased that Lavigne attended it with other officers. "So far, I'm very happy with the way Chief Lavigne is running things," Kannan said. Some have debated whether it would be best to hire a chief from outside the city. Leone said hiring an outsider would not be a good move now because that would consume time, and the department needs to be "put back together," which Lavigne is doing. "At this point, I can honestly say nine months ago that it should come from outside," he said. "But we've gone through nine months of turmoil with the Solomon situation. Searching for somebody from the outside is going to take six more months ... I don't see the need to prolong the uncertainty any longer." "I think she'd make a fine chief," Vice Chairman Deborah Quinn said of Lavigne. "But I don't want to pass judgment either for or against at this time, until all the candidates come forward." She would like to see the chief be somebody who is already in the department, not an outsider, she said. "If it was Chief Lavigne that comes up for appointment, I am very pleased with the way she has acted for me on the West End," said Councilor Jeanne Pappalardo. "She's down to earth and she's somebody that you feel comfortable with sitting down and speaking with."
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What they said Mayor William Manzi fired police Chief Joseph Solomon Wednesday, citing a report berating Solomon for casting himself as a victim, failing to own up to his mistakes and trying to damage the reputation of others. Here are comments from city councilors: r "I guess, like everybody else, I'm glad that, at least, it appears to be resolved ... I think he was a good cop that just got out of control. I think the worst thing is what Methuen had to go through all this time. I'm sad that we got in a position where we actually had to fire our police chief." — Philip Lahey Jr. r "Should have been done a long time ago. He lost all leadership in the Police Department. He wasn't leading the Police Department in the right direction." — Larry Giordano r "It took a lot longer than I thought it should." But that means "all the T's were crossed and all the I's were dotted" in the discipline report. "We probably have an excellent shot of surviving a civil service appeal." — Joseph Leone r "I think it's long overdue, myself." — John Cronin r "Time to move on." — Deborah Quinn r "I agree with it 100 percent. He was one never to admit any mistakes, like he was infallible, it had to be somebody else doing this, as opposed to him as leader of the Police Department." — Kenneth Willette r "If in fact that they (the charges in the discipline report) are all true, I think that he has put a cloud over Methuen. We need to get rid of that cloud. Methuen needs to move forward in a positive manner." — Jeanne Pappalardo r "If the stories are true, and there was just cause, then the mayor did what he had to do." — Jennifer Kannan
Staff Writer Jim Patten contributed to this report
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