Mayor Harvey Ward voiced support on Friday for City Manager Cynthia Curry’s decision to remove Gainesville Police Chief Lonnie Scott and steer the department in a new direction.
Scott announced his resignation on Monday, but the resignation came after Curry left only one other option—his termination.
While meeting with local reporters Friday, Ward said Scott has a relatable presence and has been a terrific partner for the city, from a beat cop to chief of police. However, he also stood by Curry’s decision.
“There’s not a whole lot I’m really able to tell you, other than that the city manager is really good at what she does, and she has my full support in this,” Ward said.
He cited the role of the city manager over the police department and said the City Commission, with the structure set up in Gainesville’s charter, has no control over personnel decisions at the Gainesville Police Department (GPD).
Curry pushed back against what she saw as commissioner overreach in 2023. She said Commissioner Desmon Duncan-Walker had pushed too far by trying to get internal staff transcripts and influence the hiring process for an assistant police chief. Curry filed a report as a result.
Ward said he believes this system helps keep the chief of police role less politicized than if it reported to the City Commission.
“The city manager is responsible for the vast bulk of what the city does, and we are prohibited by charter, by law, from micromanaging,” Ward said.
The City Commission still has a role, Ward said, holding the city manager responsible for implementing its policy. Ward pointed out that the current City Commission has taken close interest in GPD, starting a quarterly report at meetings.
The city also has a Police Advisory Committee and a newly formed Public Safety Subcommittee that advise on police matters.
Ward said the police department is often the most public facing within the city, and he said he’s proud of the work GPD does and wants to ensure the City Commission gives the support needed to continue.
“I believe that we should have a real wall of separation, politically, between the elected officials who make larger policy and the police chief who carries out police policy. I like our system where the police chief works for the city manager, and the city manager is then ultimately responsible for whether things work in our community or not, [reporting] back to the to me and the commission.”
Ward said Scott’s long career at GPD brings benefits. He added that sometimes the right person to fill the chief position is from within the department and sometimes a national search is needed.
“[Scott] knows all the streets and sidewalks in Gainesville,” Ward said. “He has a wealth of institutional information as well as just people information. So, that’s hard to replace.”
so he did a great job, but it was a great decision to dump him…
um, sounds great…
as a regular citizen, not an insider, it sure *sounds* like there was something untoward to so unceremoniously dump him…
but no one can say…
doesn’t sound like government in the sunshine to me on numerous levels…
non-transparent organizations will ALWAYS be corrupted, a matter of when, not if…
Scapegoating in an election year isn’t good. Politicians, judges and public attorneys all need to own up to the tragic results of their long held policies. Staff just do what those degreed “experts” tell them.
What is this “new direction” Ms. Curry wants to take policing in our community in?
It seems reasonable that the citizens should know why their police chief was fired and what the new direction that this unelected city manager wants to take public safety in…
Something fishy going on here. Nothing much worse than the smell of rotting fish hidden behind the walls.
of course, as much as he tries to paint it otherwise, the city manager here has always been the city commission’s lapdog.
So it’s against the law for the 7 elected city commissioners to “micromanage” but OK for an unelected single person to “micromanage”? Sounds like a dictatorship to me.
I’ve known Police Chief Lonnie Scott for 20-some years now. I was working with Arupa Freeman who was feeding homeless people and I was with a group helping homeless with their pets.
One of the things I believe Lonnie Scott has helped with, is how officers treat the homeless people. I remember officers had been slicing up tents and throwing away the contents. I believe there is a better communication there now. Lonnie felt so bad about the tents that he bought a very large tent (at his own expense) and gave it to Arupa for the homeless. It was huge.
I also remember hearing (and I believe it). That he was on a call where someone was abusing a child, and he kicked in the door. Direct action.
I know Lonnie wants to keep the K9 program and I hope we get rid of it.
When I last saw Lonnie I asked if we were still on a first name basis and he said “of course.” I see a lot of good in Lonnie and his work. I hope he finds him some work to do that feels good to him and does good for others.