GRANITE FALLS — Mayor Haroon Saleem wants to keep police Chief Dennis Taylor.
The mayor said Monday he will ask the City Council to approve a long-term contract with Taylor.
The Snohomish County sheriff’s sergeant has been leading the Granite Falls Police Department since fall, under
a contract.
The contract is over, but that doesn’t mean he’s going anywhere.
The timing and execution of the changes led to some confusion, Taylor and Saleem said.
Taylor on Friday submitted a letter resigning from the sheriff’s office, effective April 15, sheriff’s spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
The same day, Saleem contacted the sheriff’s office to cancel the city’s contract for Taylor’s services, Hover said.
Because the contract was canceled, Taylor was directed by a superior in the sheriff’s office on Friday to return to the sheriff’s north precinct on Monday.
Taylor said he hadn’t expected the contract with the sheriff’s office to be canceled so quickly. The cancellation led to rumors that he was being fired by the mayor.
Taylor said he had previously approached the mayor about the possibility of a full-service contract with the sheriff’s office, but city leaders preferred to have their own police department.
Saleem said he’s aware Taylor wants to have a contract with the city and some council members would like to see it on the Wednesday night’s council agenda. He plans to meet Tuesday with a city attorney to see what’s possible, he said.
“We’re working through this,” Saleem said Monday. “We’re meeting tomorrow to see if we can hammer this thing out as fast as we possibly can.”
The city would like to see a contract for four to five years with Taylor, Saleem added, but does not want to rush into an agreement. Granite Falls police Sgt. Pat White will serve as the city’s interim police chief.
The changes apparently are not related to last week’s arrest of City Councilman Wesley Roeder.
Roeder, 40, was arrested by Granite Falls police March 28 for investigation of two counts of fourth-degree assault and possession of a small amount of suspected cocaine. The arrest came after a disturbance at his home.
Saleem on Monday said he has no problem with Taylor continuing to serve as chief. Saleem had a prickly relationship with previous chief Tony Domish.
Domish resigned after reaching an settlement with the city. As part of the agreement, the city agreed to drop an internal investigation of Domish, who agreed not to bring a lawsuit against the city.
Domish was placed on administrative leave last April and reached the agreement in September. Domish and Saleem each accused the other of improper conduct.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
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