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During the February 11th Select Board meeting, Vanessa Alvarado (Chair of the Select Board), accused me of “grandstanding,” “numerous inaccuracies,” and “blatant lies.” I will not have my integrity impugned. I fully intend to respond to being called a “blatant liar” by Select Board Chair Alvarado.
Tonight’s Board Meeting is not the time or place to address this issue, even though tonight’s meeting maybe my last meeting as a member of the Board. I will not use tonight’s meeting to address the Chair’s comments.
Tonight, should be focused on one thing and one thing only: the ratification of the Town Manager’s appointment for Chief of Police. Deputy Chief David Clark is my solid choice. Beyond my extensive professional experience with Deputy Chief Clark, I am completely satisfied with the process executed by Town Manager Bob LeLacheur. I was privileged to be a participant on the Selection Team.
I will address Ms. Alvarado’s comments in my own way for the public, after tonight’s single-agenda-item Board meeting that will follow the public listening session.
Hopefully, after tonight’s meeting, we have an official Chief of Police…. finally!! It would send a great, but significantly overdue message to our Police Department and community if that vote was unanimous tonight.
I ask all of you reading this to similarly reserve your remarks tonight to promote ratification and support of Deputy Chief David Clark.
He has been acting in the role of Chief of Police since December 2018 and has already endured a protracted, professional search process. His work during this period has been exemplary!!
By my accounting, tonight’s vote has been delayed unnecessarily as many as 21 weeks—directly attributable to Select Board Chair Vanessa Alvarado.
I will provide documentation for all of my assertions and will share that information with you very soon, after tonight’s meeting. As of this writing, I am exercising great restraint out of respect for Deputy Chief Clark, the Reading Police Force, and citizens of Reading who first and foremost deserve a Chief of Police.
Please be patient.
My response is coming.
Respectfully Submitted, John R. Halsey
