Mayor selects retired policeman from California for Ombudsman post.
Late this afternoon, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner announced that Timothy Burns of Visalia, California, is her choice to fill the job as Spokane first Police Ombudsman. Burns, a retired police officer now working as Visalia’s Neighborhood Preservation Manager, was selected from among three finalists forwarded to the Mayor by a selection committee. According to the city, 128 people applied for the position when it was announced.
“I am excited to be able to move this process closer to conclusion,” says Verner. “I believe Mr. Burns is the right selection for our community.”
Burns nomination will now go to the Spokane City Council for confirmation.
The announcement of Burns’s nomination came just hours after the Center learned that the Mayor had agreed to meet with a coalition of citizen groups who’ve called on Verner and other city officials to hold off in making the appointment until the ordinance creating the office could be changed to give the Ombudsman independent authority to investigate complaints against police officers. Liz Moore, the Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane director who’s helped organize the coalition said she hoped–even if the Mayor went ahead with the appointment now–that Verner and other city officials would commit to negotiating the changes in the office’s independence when the city takes up a new round of collective bargaining with the police guild later this summer.
If approved by Council, Burns would be appointed as ombudsman for a three-year term. Under terms of the ordinance passed last fall, Burns could be reappointed to a second three-year term.
