The plan is already in place for PSL’s new police chief if Del Toro wins the Nov. 5 election for sheriff

PORT ST. LUCIE — The city plans to move quickly to name a new police chief if Acting Police Chief Richard Del Toro is elected St. Louis County Sheriff. Lucie next week. He even has a replacement waiting in the wings.

The plan would call for Assistant Chief Leo Niemczyk to be sworn in as chief on Nov. 6, the morning after the election, if Del Toro, the Republican nominee, defeats Steven Giordano, the Democratic nominee, the night before.

Although the sheriff wasn’t sworn in until Jan. 7, Del Toro would step down as acting chief almost immediately after the election.

Plans for a quick transition

Del Toro already defeated incumbent Keith Pearson in the Republican primary in August by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

City leaders have hinted that plans to name a new chief were in the works even before the primary — Del Toro announced in 2021 that he would run for sheriff even before becoming acting chief — though they picked up steam in the weeks after the primary .

Niemczyk became Del Toro’s second-in-command about five months after Del Toro took the helm, and in that role stepped in as boss when Del Toro was unavailable. Before that, Niemczyk was a commander in the department for 21 years. He was the first choice for Chief City Manager Jesus Merejo, who is responsible for hiring all city employees except the city manager and city attorney.

Some rejections from the City Council on the timeline

Merejo’s plan is a swearing-in ceremony and celebration — invitations to which have already begun circulating within the Police Department — right after Niemczyk’s contract is scheduled to be voted on by the City Council at a special meeting at 9 a.m. the morning of November 6.

That timeline drew criticism from Councilman Anthony Bonna, who added discussion of it to Monday’s regular council meeting. Bonna questioned planning a swearing-in before the board even voted on a contract for Niemczyk. Bonna said Monday that he had not even seen a copy of the contract.

“I think it’s a little premature to schedule a swearing-in ceremony before the council has had a vote,” Bonna said.

Bonna said it reminds him of concerns he had about Merejo not going through what Bonna sees as due process, particularly with employment of the city attorney and the bidding process for a new Public Works building.

It would be better to wait to plan the swearing in until after the council votes, Bonna said, because there are nearly two months between the vote and Del Toro’s potential swearing in as sheriff.

“What if we don’t like the contract?” Bonna asked. “I don’t know why we’re rushing this the morning after the election.”

For her part, Mayor Shannon Martin pushed back, arguing that this situation is different from the others cited by Bonna. The city manager, Martin said, is responsible for hiring the police chief. As for the board, Martin said, “we have to approve it.”

“As far as I’m concerned, the city manager hires the police chief, and however he wants to move forward, we should move forward,” Martin said.

Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo agreed that it is not the City Council’s role to tell Merejo who to hire or when he should be sworn in.

“I … have faith that (Merejo) will either succeed or fall on his sword,” Caraballo said.

Caraballo also said he has no reason to question Merejo because he agrees with Niemczyk’s choice.

Niemczyk, Bonna said, is a “great man,” but he said due process should be followed regardless.

Councilwoman Stephanie Morgan largely agreed with Bonna, calling the pledge “hurry up a little bit.”

“I would imagine the contract is done, but I haven’t seen it. I don’t know anything about it,” Morgan said.

Merejo, for his part, apologized to Bonna, saying “your decision is important” and calling it “a learning experience”.

“I wanted to ensure a smooth transition,” Merejo said, explaining why he scheduled the ceremony so soon after the election and council vote.

More: Del Toro wins contentious primary for Sheriff of St. Lucia; Pearson supports former opponent

More: PSL PD’s top cop, former correctional deputy candidate to be the next sheriff of St. bright

I’m celebrating Del Toro if he becomes sheriff

Councilors also discussed the need to celebrate Del Toro. Bonna said he has repeatedly suggested that Del Toro needs to be named chief, not just acting chief, even if only for a day. Merejo was not receptive to the idea, Bonna said. Caraballo asked Merejo if plans were being made for a celebration, and the city manager said there were.

As sheriff, Del Toro would be a great partner for the city, Bonna said. The sheriffs in the county’s recent history did not come from Port St. Lucie, and Bonna said that “potentially the first sheriff in the south of the county” would be something worth celebrating, in addition to Del Toro’s 25-year career with the department.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm’s Watchdog reporter for St. Lucia. You can contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Leo Niemczyk is set to replace Richard Del Toro after Sheriff’s Choice