Paul Bass Photos
Campbell, Casanova leaving mayor’s office Friday.
New Haven’s three assistant police chiefs were summoned to a meeting at City Hall Friday amid speculation that Mayor Toni Harp has asked for Chief Dean Esserman’s resignation.
Harp met for a half hour Friday morning with Esserman, who has been on paid leave in response to complaints about abusive behavior toward members of the public and his police force.
Then the three assistant chiefs — Anthony Campbell, Luiz Casanova, and Archie Generoso — were summoned to a noon meeting with Harp and mayoral Chief of Staff Tomas Reyes in the mayor’s office. Generoso had been on a day off. Their meeting lasted an hour.
After the meeting, the participants, including Harp, declined comment on what they discussed. Harp told the Independent she could not comment on whether she had asked for Esserman’s resignation. She said no decisions had been made and there would probably be no news released Friday about his fate.
Campbell has been serving as acting chief since Harp placed Esserman on paid leave on July 25 because of his alleged berating of an Archie Moore’s restaurant waitress, leading patrons to ask to be moved and management to offer them free dinners.
The paid leave was scheduled to last until at least Aug. 16, pending his completion of unspecified tasks to demonstrate that he would be prepared to resume his job. Since then, new revelations of problems under his command have emerged combined with building public demands that he resign, including at a meeting that drew 100 people Wednesday night to Dixwell’s Stetson branch library.
Unlike an at-will employee, Esserman could have more of a legal basis to contest a firing, increasing the chances of a negotiated deal in which he would resign. His contract runs until early 2018.
It's about time!