By Megan Kelley
Staff Writer
LAKE ORION — After months of negotiations, Todd Stanfield is officially chief of the Lake Orion Police Department after the village Council voted unanimously to approve the contract agreed upon by both Stanfield and village Manager Darwin McClary.
Stanfield was named interim police chief in July after the retirement of former Chief of Police Harold Rossman.
While council vocally supported having Stanfield fill the position in a permanent capacity, negotiations hit a stalemate several months ago, causing McClary to request a committee be formed to aid in negotiations.
“We want to congratulate you sir. And I want to welcome you to the stress club,” said Jerry Narsh, council president and former chief of the LOPD.
The approval was met with applause throughout council chambers during the Lake Orion Village Council’s meeting on Monday.
“I want to thank council for all their hard work, for getting it done. I worked with Mr. McClary, it worked out well, it worked out fine,” said Stanfield. “Going forward, we’ve got good things coming so don’t worry, I got this covered.”
Contract highlights include an annual salary of $87,500 and a $1,200 per year compensation in June for maintaining his status as a Field Training Officer and conducting such training.
Stanfield will receive four hours of sick leave per pay period, 25 vacation days annually, four personal days and is entitled to 100 hours of compensatory time.
“I want to congratulate Todd Stanfield, our new Chief of Police. We are excited to have him join the top rank, although there are a lot of challenges ahead for the police department, we are in very good hands with him,” McClary said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to work with him in a new capacity.”