St. Paul City Council calls on mayor to hasten search for new police chief

Members of the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday expressed frustrations with Mayor Melvin Carter after city staff said a new police chief will not be selected until August, more than a month after Chief Todd Axtell is slated to wrap up his tenure.

In late October, Axtell announced that he would not seek another six-year term at the helm of the agency. Council President Amy Brendmoen said the council reached out to the mayor's office in November asking them to launch the search for Axtell's replacement, a community-engaged process that is laid out in the city's charter.

Carter sent a letter to the council Monday serving as official notification that Axtell's term would end May 10, according to the city's charter. An interim police chief would be appointed to serve while the search for a new chief continues.

"The council has been really clear that we do not want to have a gap between when our current chief leaves and when our next chief is on board. … I'm extremely frustrated that we're in this position," Council Member Rebecca Noecker said. "I'd be curious to know what the plan is for the three hardest months of policing in the summer if we do not have a chief in place at that time."

In an interview Wednesday, Carter said he is confident with the timeline dictated by city staff and pointed out that St. Paul has hired interim police chiefs during leadership transitions in the past, including before Axtell took over in 2016. Minneapolis currently has an interim police chief, Amelia Huffman, who took over the department last month after Chief Medaria Arradondo stepped down.

"We are facilitating a trial. We are navigating a COVID-19 crisis. We are doing a number of things at one time," Carter said. "We're on a timeline that's totally fine with me. … I don't have the notion that having an interim chief will be devastating for the city. I'm not clear on where that comes from."

Axtell previously said he planned to step down June 23, exactly six years after he began serving as chief. In an interview Monday, he said he would be willing to consider staying on as chief until his successor is named if asked by Carter.

"Having worked here for 33 years, I know how long it takes to select a chief," said Axtell, who has at times clashed with Carter over staffing and budget matters. "And knowing that, I announced my plans in the fall … to give the city more than adequate time to complete the process."

Carter said though St. Paul's charter specifies the date when Axtell's term ends, that doesn't mean the chief cannot continue to lead the department for some time after May 10. The mayor said he has not yet discussed the specific timing of the transition with Axtell and declined to answer whether he'd like the chief to continue serving until his successor is picked.

Toni Newborn, St. Paul's human resources director, on Wednesday told the council that the city is issuing a request for proposals for recruiting firms to oversee the search for a new chief.

A selection committee appointed by the council will aim to meet in April and May to narrow down the pool of candidates to five finalists, who will be interviewed at public forums and by the mayor in June and July. Carter will pick a chief, who the council will vote to approve.