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City close to picking search firm for chief By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The city is closing in on a search firm to help select a new police chief, according to Ashland City Administrator Gino Grimaldi. "We're close to narrowing it down to three firms," Grimaldi told the Ashland City Council Tuesday night. There have been 17 firms which have shown an interest in contracting with the city to help find a replacement for outgoing Ashland Police Department Chief Scott Fleuter. Fleuter announced in April he is stepping down from his job of six years. Fleuter has been diagnosed with lupus and plans to exit the day-to-day rigors of law enforcement. Lupus is an incurable auto-immune disease which causes extreme fatigue, pain and other symptoms. Fleuter likely will work until the first week in August, cutting back his work hours over the next few months as the transition nears. He intends to stay in Ashland at least until his two children, ages 12 and 14, graduate from high school. Grimaldi expects to pick a firm to help with Fleuter's replacement in about three weeks. "We're looking for somebody who's done this more than a couple of times," Grimaldi said. "A firm that will bring police professionals into the process � and put a heavy emphasis on public input." Grimaldi added that a firm with an excellent record of performing good background checks is also a must. The average cost of the final few firms being looked at is about $17,000 - which is in line with early staff estimates of $15,000 to $20,000 for head-hunting services. The city has been taking public input on what the community expects from the new chief, and that process will continue for about the next six weeks, according to Grimaldi. The search firm which is selected will use that input, along with the opinions of city officials and staff, when selecting candidates. Candidate finalists will likely be interviewed in mid-September and a new chief could be in place by October. The police chief salary range is $75,888 to $85,296. Fleuter's was the first of two back-to-back city department head resignations this year. In May, Ashland Parks and Recreation Department Director Ken Mickelsen announced he has accepted a job to head a parks department in Maple Valley, Wash., beginning June 16. Mickelsen has served as parks director in Ashland for 24 years. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -