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SATURDAY December 20, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels Editorial: For us it's easy: Bianca for chief This one is a slam dunk. Hire Lt. Mike Bianca as the city's next chief of police. First and foremost, he's an Ashland guy. A veteran of 17 years, he has worked his way up on the force. He knows the community, he knows the problems, he knows that many solutions that may work elsewhere would explode into a maelstrom here. Quite simply, Bianca is the candidate with the most direct, relevant experience. He has been involved in monitoring public protests. He has worked on controlling the drug trade. He has had numerous discussions weighing strategies for crowd control during a flag burning, or dealing with environmentalists sitting in trees. The other candidates look like fine, experienced and capable police officers. But it's safe to say Williams, Ariz.; Omaha, Neb.; and Chula Vista, Calif., are nothing like Ashland. Most importantly, it's good to reward loyal and successful employees from within, rather than bring in someone from the outside. It's not always possible, but with Bianca, it is. It is worth mentioning that we think Bianca will be a good chief for the media to work with. He respects the first amendment and the role the media plays in policing the police force, and reporting the news fairly and accurately. Too often, police forces want to operate out of the public view, building a relationship of distrust and suspicion. In the end, the public loses. Both media and police have jobs to do, and will on some issues have different goals. But both can be more effective when cooperation and respect is valued. Some serious challenges await Bianca in the new post. We hope he has new ideas for stemming the flow of drugs into the city. We hope he will work in concert with the schools to aggressively educate kids about the dangers of even casual drug use. At times, a tough hand, especially with those who are dealing, will be needed. We encourage Bianca to openly and publicly tell the people of Ashland how he will improve this problem. In the end, we are confident that any progress to curtail drug use will be done with equal parts compassion and enforcement under Bianca's leadership. We applaud the city on the open process of hiring a police chief. The public has had substantial input. But with a decision likely coming soon, we enthusiastically throw our support behind Lt. Mike Bianca for chief of police. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Road Cams