Whitwell hired as police chief
The agenda was slim Monday evening when Marion City Council met but the outcome was significant.
When Mayor Mary Olson opened the meeting, she added an executive session on the agenda to discuss personnel.
Following a 30-minute meeting to cover the agenda items and prior to hearing the city administrator's report, Olson called for a 20-minute executive session.
When the meeting reconvened, the council approved the motion to appoint Marion County Sheriff Deputy Josh Whitwell as police chief and that no other interviews were to be conducted. The vote was 5-0.
Whitwell was among 18 candidates vying for the position.
The council will meet with Whitwell in a special session Friday to negotiate his salary.
Marion Police Lieutenant Detective Dean Keyes was appointed as acting police chief when police chief Michel Soyez resigned April 23.
A complete council report will be in next week's edition.
