In support of De Pompa and Ochoa

Recently a letter was published in the News-Press stating that City Manager Scott Ochoa should be fired for not having two or three people “groomed and ready to step up to fill the police chief and “two deputy police chiefs” positions (“Ochoa should be terminated for cause,” Mailbag, April 3).

I appreciate the writer’s opinion and some of the points made in the letter may have applied if we were talking about the private sector. However, I don’t believe it applies to civil servants.

Glendale does not have a “deputy police chief” position. That position was eliminated many years ago due to budget cuts. The writer is assuming we don’t have two or three people qualified or ready to become our next police chief. Actually, I can think of six or seven people that are qualified. The question is, are these qualified officers willing to take the position and to deal with all the headaches that come with the position of a police chief? You are constantly asked to do more with less resources. You are asked to reduce crime with one of the lowest officer-to-population ratios in the country. It is because of De Pompa’s quality leadership and foresight that these individuals are ready and qualified to run the department, if they choose to step forward.

Throughout the years I have worked with city managers in different cities in multiple states, I have to tell you that Ochoa is one of the most balanced, sharp and pleasant city managers I have ever come across.

Sam S. Manoukian
Glendale

Editor’s note: The writer is a member of the Glendale Civil Service Commission.