The Case for Tony Holloday

St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman will never again be characterized as someone afraid to think out of the box. Problem may really be he doesn't know where the box is.

His decision to pass on the 4 finalists including assistant Chief Melanie Bevan offered up by the search firm, vetted by City Council and the public, caught everyone by surprise.

I called the option for Clearwater Chief Tony Holloway mid afternoon Saturday as reported in saintpetersblog: Jerry Geier’s not going to be St. Pete’s next police chief, either.

Nothing is confirmed at this point but by late Saturday the chatter regarding Holloway had risen to a viable level.

Holloway was reportedly on the west coast (California). So we could still be looking at a long shot. 

Holloway would have a number of things going for him. Little or no relocation cost, a fast start, he already knows Pinellas County, does not have to go through all the stress of a time consuming move,  has a working relationship with Sheriff Gualtieri and should be familiar with the St. Pete PD.

He is an African American, a strong plus for the Mayor, and has no reported ties to Goliath Davis and the old coalition another plus.

Major problem for any St. Pete Chief not associated with Goliath Davis is the outright warfare that will erupt between Assistant Chiefs Luke Williams and Melanie Bevan in a power struggle. Along with a desperate attempt from Goliath Davis and the old coalition to somehow maintain a foot hold.

Then there is the appointment of a new Assistant Chief of the Investigative Service Bureau (Detectives), where Davis and the coalition would attempt to maintain some influence.

Given the firestorm that is sure to erupt from City Council, the public, the rank and file at the Pd, and the PD administrative staff, Holloway may be walking in with at least one if not both hands tied behind his back.

If the Clearwater Chief has not already signed the deal, he just might want to give it a second thought. 

The creditability of the Kriseman dream team is rapidly eroding and if anything goes wrong you can bet they will throw the new chief under the bus faster than you can say Kevin King.

E-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net. Or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook and Twitter.
Disclosures: Contributor to No Tax for Tracks.