WPB City Leaders Chooses A New Police Chief

Interim Police Chief, Bryan Kummerlen, was officially voted in as the new chief of police after a unanimous vote by the West Palm Beach, City Commission on May 27th.  Chief Kummerlen will more than likely continue to do a good job, leading the police department as he have with Assistant Chief Mary Olsen.

Chief Kummerlen’s  plans to retire in August of 2017  should have been known by both mayor and commissioners and therefore fully aware that the chief’s commitment would be short term. Rather than choose a candidate who has plans to retire in three years, a smarter move would have been for the mayor to just keep both Kummerlen and Mary Olsen as interim chiefs and recruit from inside or nation wide for a permanent chief.

It is costly and not very smart to keep repeating the same process when you’re aware of limitations. If a better move didn’t register with the mayor, I would think, one of five commissioners would have realized the impending doom in 2017 to start the process of searching all over again.

Reflecting back when Lois Frankel lost her crown as mayor of WPB, then District 4 Commissioner, Jeri Muoio was not even seeking the office of mayor. Frankel entrusted Ms. Muoio to complete the downtown projects that she couldn’t complete, along with huge efforts to help her get elected by way of the western corridor. That victory was Mayor Frankel’s second term in office as West Palm Beach Mayor.

It is time for Mayor Frankel to relinquish her crown in next March’s election and butt out of West Palm Beach’s politics!  The only way to reduce Ms. Frankel’s influence in West Palm Beach is for someone to challenge Mayor Muoio and win in March 2015 local elections.