A Message to You Rudy: Ex-mayor may have aided decision to keep Police Chief
January 19, 2008
It looks like Randy Rudy’s job as chief of the Aberdeen Police Department is safe - at least for the time being - although it remains unclear whether Mayor Mike Bennett is giving the chief a chance or simply had his hands tied thanks to a parting gift from the city’s former mayor.
In an email written by Bennett last week and provided by Art Helton, the mayor made it clear he wants Rudy to remain the city’s police chief, but, beyond that, he wants Aberdeen’s top cop to be the one running the department. Under the administration of former Mayor Fred Simmons it was often questioned who was running the Aberdeen Police Department - Rudy or Simmons.
“Chief Rudy is a law enforcement professional whom I respect. I have had several conversations with him over the past month and shared with him my desire for him to run his dept,” Bennett wrote.
“We talked about his being placed in a secondary position over the past 2 years and I assured him that I was going to give him an opportunity to run his dept. and that unless I had a brainstorm (I do have some experience in this area) I would work through the City Manager,” he continued. Continue reading A Message to You Rudy: Ex-mayor may have aided decision to keep Police Chief
Taking One for the Team: Can Axing a Chief Save a Sinking Ship?
January 8, 2008
We’ve all heard the old adage about a captain going down with his ship - a symbol of his being ultimately responsible for whatever the hell happened on the vessel to make it start sinking in the first place.
But there’s another nautically-themed response to save a sinking ship, literal or otherwise, that has become more fashionable in modern times - mutiny.
At issue is the tenuous position of Randy Rudy, chief of the Aberdeen Police Department for the last 8 years, who was strongly aligned with former mayor Fred Simmons. With Simmons out and new mayor Mike Bennett in, Rudy’s future is in question. Even though both come from a background of service with the Maryland State Police, Bennett may see Rudy as one of the last remaining reminders of Simmons’ two years as mayor. It wasn’t Simmons who hired Rudy, but it was Simmons, himself a gun-carrying pilot, who empowered the chief and gave him the funding and support to kick Aberdeen crime-fighting into high gear. Continue reading Taking One for the Team: Can Axing a Chief Save a Sinking Ship?
