The Chicago City Council planned to hold a committee hearing to question commissioners from the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, all of whom were appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, about the process for selecting a new Chicago police superintendent.
The hearing was prompted by concerns that the search was being bogged down by infighting in the CCPSA. The commission initially struggled to reach a quorum to select a search firm, suggesting deep disagreement over the direction of the search.
On Aug. 25, however, the CCPSA selected Ralph Andersen & Associates to conduct the search for the next superintendent. This firm has led police executive search processes in Oakland and San Francisco in California and New Haven, Connecticut. With a search firm now in place, the process should proceed within the statutory deadline, making the City Council hearing unnecessary.
The CCPSA must submit finalists to the mayor within 120 days of former Superintendent Larry Snelling’s resignation, which took effect July 15. That means the CCPSA is likely to vote on three finalists on or before Nov. 12, after which Johnson will have 30 days to select one for City Council consideration. That timeline is unlikely to change.
But acknowledging that the process will continue does not mean Chicago should ignore the unusual circumstances surrounding it. The city is on track to select its next police superintendent only a month or two before the February municipal election. That timing creates a political reality that is cause for deep concern.
Normally, a mayor making such a decision can point to a recent electoral mandate. Not so here. The next superintendent will be selected in the middle of a mayoral campaign in which Johnson, who is tasked with picking the next superintendent, faces real political uncertainty in a potential reelection bid.
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That raises two important questions. What kind of superintendent candidate will be attracted to a position that could become politically complicated almost immediately? Will Johnson use the selection of a new superintendent to bolster his political position only months before voters decide who will permanently occupy the fifth floor for the next four years?
Additionally, an experienced police executive from Chicago or another major city must consider whether the administration selecting them will still be in office only a few months later. If an individual other than Johnson is elected this winter or spring, will a new superintendent still be wanted only five months after being selected? Will priorities shift? Will relationships need to be rebuilt from scratch? Will the new superintendent get caught between competing political visions for public safety?
These are not hypothetical concerns. Political uncertainty around the mayoral election will dominate the thought process of every potential superintendent candidate and will cloud the recruitment for the role. None of this means qualified candidates will refuse to apply. But many won’t because they will be reluctant to seek one of the most scrutinized leadership roles in America in the middle of a politically tumultuous citywide election in which the outcome is far from certain.
Any superintendent’s effectiveness depends not only on authority, but also on credibility. We would be naive if we failed to acknowledge that part of a superintendent’s credibility is determined by the mayor as well as the circumstances surrounding that selection. A superintendent selected by an unpopular mayor in the middle of an election cycle will face an almost impossible immediate test regarding their long-term viability.
At the same time, rank-and-file officers, community groups, elected officials and city residents all need confidence that department leadership can endure beyond a short-term election cycle. The timing of the superintendent selection process now taking shape jeopardizes that confidence.
Johnson should recognize that the public will judge this appointment not only by who is chosen, but also by whether the choice appears motivated by politics rather than the city’s long-term needs.
The timeline is set. The search is underway. Finalists will almost certainly be named before the February election. But any superintendent candidate selected by Johnson for ideological reasons alone will draw deep scrutiny from the City Council given the political context that clouds this selection process.
As a result, what remains is a more important question: Can Chicago select a superintendent who commands confidence across political divisions and can lead the department regardless of who leads the city next spring?
That is the tallest of tasks.
Ald. Desmon Yancy represents Chicago’s 5th Ward. Ald. Peter Chico represents the 10th Ward. Ald. Matt O’Shea represents the 19th Ward. Ald. Silvana Tabares represents the 23rd Ward.
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