A long-serving Edgartown police sergeant is slated to become the next police chief in Oak Bluffs after the town select board voted Monday afternoon to offer the job to Jonathan Searle.
The vote was 3-1 after an afternoon of interviews with three finalists for the position. Select board member Ryan Ruley, who is an Edgartown police sergeant, recused himself from the process. Selectwoman Gail Barmakian cast the lone dissenting vote.
The other candidates were Oak Bluffs Lieut. Nick Curelli and Arthur Beal, a retired New York city police officer. Another finalist, Lieut. Michael Naylor of Newport, withdrew his application prior to the meeting.
“I’m clearly elated and and I’m humbled and honored to have been offered the position,” Sergeant Searle told the Gazette by phone Monday evening.
He said he intends to accept the position. He will succeed longtime police chief Erik Blake, who will retire at the end of June.
“It’s something I’ve been working toward my whole career,” the sergeant said, adding he’s excited to make the move.
The select board asked each candidate a long list of pre-written questions Monday afternoon, touching on their approach to police reform, recruitment and retention, leadership style and community relations.
When it came time to deliberate, the board reached a consensus that the two finalists already in law enforcement on Martha’s Vineyard were their preferred candidates.
“I think our two strongest candidates are our Island candidates,” selectman Jason Balboni said. “Which is awesome.”
Selectman Brian Packish said both candidates were strong in their interviews. But noting that there are vacancies in the upper ranks of the department (Sgt. Michael Marchand resigned in January), Mr. Packish said bringing in a chief from outside the department would help strengthen Lieutenant Curelli’s position, since he was just promoted in February.
Mr. Balboni agreed. “To have both of these candidates working for us . . . is the best scenario we could come up with,” he said.
Ms. Barmakian said she preferred to promote from within, but Emma Breen Beach joined the other two board members in voting for Sergeant Searle.
An Island native, Mr. Searle has served in the Edgartown department since 1986, rising through the ranks. His community work is wide-ranging and includes serving as town meeting constable for many years. More recently he helped lead an initiative called Project Outreach, teaming up police officers with recovery coaches to help get Islanders struggling with addiction into treatment programs.
He is also the son of a police chief; his father George Searle served as chief in Edgartown from 1981-1995, and had been in the department since 1966.
Current Edgartown police chief Bruce McNamee had warm words of praise for his outgoing sergeant, calling it one town’s loss and another’s gain.
“I know he’s going to serve the community of Oak Bluffs as well as he’s served the community of Edgartown,” the chief said.
