The mayor plans to announce a police chief Monday to replace the retired Anthony Scott.
Holyoke police chief search finalists James M. Neiswanger, left, and Pedro J. Perez, right.HOLYOKE – Mayor Elaine A. Pluta praised the two men she is reviewing to be the next police chief in a process an official said was intended to include more finalists for the mayor to consider.
Pluta said her plan is to announce a new chief Monday.
The finalists are Pedro J. Perez, 58, of Albany, N.Y., a retired 30-year veteran official of the New York state police, and James M. Neiswanger, 48, of South Windsor, Conn., a captain and 25-year veteran of the Manchester, Conn. Police Department.
“I think they’re both very well-rounded, experienced, knowledgeable candidates,” Pluta said Monday.
Former Chief Anthony R. Scott retired April 30 after having been the chief since 2001. His annual salary was $133, 164.
Capt. Frederick J. Seklecki is acting police chief.
Perez and Neiswanger were put through a seven-hour evaluation known as an assessment center Saturday at Holyoke Community College that included role-playing, taking questions and other tests.
A seven-member search committee – meetings of which were closed to the public – was appointed by Pluta and began meeting in December.
The committee watched the assessment center process Saturday and then voted to recommend Perez and Neiswanger as finalists.
The process included role-playing, taking questions and other tests and was run by consultant Stephen H. Unsworth, director of BadgeQuest, of West Yarmouth. A written report of the assessment center from BadgeQuest is among the information Pluta said she is considering.
Perez and Neiswanger were the only two candidates to go through the assessment center, but the committee had the option of recommending only one or neither of them, committee Chairman Joseph M. McGiverin said.
The original field was 39 candidates. That was narrowed to 13, then nine and then five, committee he said.
James M. Neiswanger, Holyoke Police Chief Finalist Cover Letter and Resume
The committee’s plan was to submit four or five finalists to Pluta. But of the final five, three dropped out days before the assessment center was held. One and possibly two of the five got other jobs and what happened with the third was unclear, McGiverin said.
“I’m disappointed the other three didn’t go through the assessment center,” he said.
Perez and Neiswanger are strong and evenly matched, he said.
“In the end, I don’t think there’s a clear 1-2. Pretty much a split decision, if you were going to rank them,” he said.
The committee considered “back-filling,” returning to the final nine or final 13 candidates to get additional finalists, but that option raised fairness and legal issues, and it was scrapped, he said.
West Springfield Police Capt. Ronald P. Campurciani confirmed he was among the final 13.
“It was just an opportunity that presented itself in Holyoke. I wasn’t looking to leave West Springfield,” said Campurciani, a 25-year veteran.
Advertisements were placed for candidates in New England and New York, but periodicals that included the ads ran nationally, so at least one candidate applied from Arizona and another was from Nebraska or Montana, McGiverin said.
Eight to 10 candidates were from Massachusetts and others were from Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York, he said.
There were several women, but most of the candidates were men, he said.
Besides McGiverin, the committee consisted of Councilor at Large Patricia C. Devine; Holyoke Police Capt. Arthur R. Monfette; Lt. Randy Mead of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department; Debra Vega, co-owner of Vega Yoga & Movement Arts here; Andrew L. Melendez, director of the Homework House Inc. tutoring program here and member of the charter study commission; and retired lawyer Paul Lietz.
After an announcement, the mayor and the chief choice would have to agree on a contract. A background check and physical and psychological examinations also would be done on the man, Pluta said.
Pedro Perez, Holyoke Police Chief Finalist Cover Letter and Resume