City Considers Removing Police and Fire Commissions

Liam Carmichael, PaperClip Staff

 

The Portsmouth City Council is considering the removal of the Police and Fire Commissions. The proposal, outlined by councilor Eric Spear, would integrate department oversight into the duties of the City Council and the City Manager. On May 4th, Councilor Brad Lown described the commissions as “an unnecessary level of middle management,” and that they “act as advocates for more spending.”

While multiple members of the city council seem to favor this proposed integration, the reaction from Commissioners Brenna Cavanaugh and Joe Onosko indicate that there will be significant opposition to this idea.

Ms. Cavanaugh said that it was “asinine to suggest that the city or the Police Department would be better off without a Police/Fire Commission,” and Onosko described the idea as a “power grab.” This comes months after Ms. Cavanaugh helped identify a corruption scandal within the commission that she served on, highlighting the importance of civilian oversight into city departments.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the issue during its retreat on June 3rd, and will vote on the issue on June 5th.