Here are the five people who will help select Bluffton's next police chief
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct how the police chief position is appointed.
With the deadline to name a new Bluffton police chief only weeks away, five residents who will help make the choice have been named to a citizens panel.
Members include: George Bailey, Clifford Bush III, George Haslam, Eugene Marks and Corinne Reeves, deputy town manager Scott Marshall told The Island Packet on Tuesday morning.
Here's a brief look at the panel:
▪ Bailey was with General Motors for 40 years before he retired as a metropolitan area manager. He's been in Bluffton since 2008 and is a current board member and former treasurer of Heroes of the Lowcountry, a nonprofit group that provides college tuition assistance to high school graduates in Beaufort and Jasper counties.
▪ Bush is Bluffton's Municipal Court chief judge. He also serves as a major in the Judge Advocate General's Corps., U.S. Army Reserves.
▪ Haslam is a longtime resident of Bluffton. He is a military and law enforcement veteran who has served as a captain and chief deputy in different departments. He previously worked at the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and was one of the first reserve officers with the Bluffton Police Department.
▪ Marks worked in corporate America for 30 years before retiring and focusing on real estate investing. He is involved in community initiatives, including the Garvin-Garvey House reconstruction and land donation for a small community park in Old Town Bluffton.
▪ Reeves has been a Bluffton resident for 35 years. She and her family own and operate Resort Services, Inc.; and she serves on the Wall of Honor Committee and Bluffton Cemetery Committee.
The panel was selected by town manager Marc Orlando, who has largely led the effort to find a new chief.
The five will participate in in-person interviews with the five or six candidates still in the running and help narrow the candidate group to three, which will by announced by July 6.
The remaining three candidates will face additional interviews with Orlando, tour the town and participate in a public forum before July 20.
Orlando expects to have made an offer to the top candidate by July 23.
The position is appointed by Orlando. A town listing for the position initially said the appointment needed to be approved by the mayor and council, but Marshall said the listing was incorrect.
A special Bluffton Town Council work session is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday. The agenda includes a closed session discussing "personnel matters regarding the recruiting and selection of the police chief."
Currently, Lt. Donald "Scott" Chandler is acting as interim police chief for the department.
This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Here are the five people who will help select Bluffton's next police chief."