Former Sequim Police Chief Bob Spinks lost out Monday to a finalist from within the Columbus, Miss., Police Department for that city’s police chief position.
The Dispatch newspaper in Columbus reported Monday afternoon that the Columbus City Council selected Columbus Police Lt. Selvain McQueen as the new chief over Spinks and one other out-of-town candidate.
“The votes went along racial lines,” The Dispatch said.
Black council members supported McQueen, who is black, the newspaper said, while the two white council members voted against the motion.
Those two later said they had favored Spinks, The Dispatch said.
Not surprised
Spinks, in a statement released Tuesday, said he was not “terribly surprised” by the news.
“It’s always a hard climb to jump over an in-house candidate,” Spinks said. “But coming out No. 2 from a pack of over 80 applicants from across the country isn’t really a loss either.
“I enjoyed my dealings with the city, had a great trip back to Mississippi and if you read the evaluations of my interview process, I received very good reviews by the local newspaper.”
Spinks wished McQueen “the very best.”
“When you get down to your top two or three candidates, especially when it’s a council decision, there are a lot of variables involved, and some don’t merely rest on qualifications,” Spinks said.
Outpouring of support
Spinks said he “was amazed by the very kind outpouring of support and well wishes that the Sequim community provided over the past couple of weeks in the form of cards, emails, calls and passing conversations around town when this process made its way into the news.”
He reiterated what he has said in the past: “Leaving Sequim is still not my first choice.
“My wife has a career in juvenile justice, I’m teaching university criminal justice classes part time, and of course my other involvements on the board of directors at the Sequim Senior Activity Center and OlyCAP, plus my involvement on the management team at KSQM-91.5 FM, are all important, time-consuming and rewarding involvements.”
Spinks and two other candidates were interviewed last Thursday in Columbus, a City Council interview process that included broadcasting it live.
Besides McQueen and Spinks, the third choice was Curtis Brame of North Chicago, Ill.
McQueen has been the interim police chief since the council fired Joseph St. John in July and has served in the Columbus Police Department for almost 24 years.
McQueen was former head of the Police Department’s criminal investigations division.
City Manager Steve Burkett last year asked Spinks to resign, and Spinks did so, after Burkett concluded they lacked managerial chemistry.
Spinks, 52, who headed the Sequim force for five years, acted as city manager before Burkett joined the city of Sequim in early 2010.
Spinks has about 30 years of experience in public service. Prior to Sequim, he served as police chief in Milton-Freewater, Ore., from 1997-2001 and as an undersheriff in Benton County, Ore.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-681-2391 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.