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Councilman Charland Called a Special Meeting to Discuss the Mayor's Agreement with (Now Retired) Police Chief Larry Scirotto.

The mayor let the police chief referee 40 NCAA basketball games on his personal time off, without telling council or the public. After the news broke, the chief retired early. This week, a council member called a special meeting with top city officials, but the chief didn't attend despite an invitation. Several council members said they now have no trust in the mayor's office.

Written by Chris Maury

Mayor's Agreement with (Now Retired) Police Chief Larry Scirotto

Context

  • Mayor Gainey made an arrangement with Police Chief Scirotto allowing him to referee 40 NCAA basketball games during his personal time off.
  • This arrangement was not communicated to the City Council or publicly before news broke after Chief Scirotto refereed a game earlier in October.
  • The ensuing public discourse led to Chief Scirotto taking an early retirement.

This Week

  • The Council met with Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak, Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt, Deputy Police Chief Chris Ragland, and Chief Operations officer Lisa Frank. Chief Scirotto was invited but did not attend. In this disccusion we learned:
  • The City Council opted not to participate in the interview process responsible for hiring Chief Scirotto.
  • In his confirmation hearing roughly 18 months ago, Chief Scirotto, when asked if he had any intention of going back to refereeing, said no.
  • As a result of the 18 months Chief Scirotto served, his pension payment will increase from roughly $55,000 to roughly $94,000.
  • City employees, other than police officers, are allowed to take additional employment as long as it is not on City time.
  • Assistant Chief Chris Ragland will be the Acting Chief for the time being.
  • Multiple council members communicated a complete lack of trust with the mayor's office after this incident.

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City Council · October 29, 2024

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