Front Royal interviews candidates for Chief of Police, Town Manager

The Town of Front Royal is hiring for two high-profile positions currently: Chief of Police and Town Manager.

FRONT ROYAL – Town officials were busy Wednesday, as the process continued to fill the position of Chief of Police. Front Royal Police Chief Norman Shiflett retired May 1, after 33 years in law enforcement, serving as chief of FRPD since September 2012, when Richard Furr retired.
Major Bruce Hite is currently serving as Acting Chief, a role he has held since June of 2016, when Shiflett had surgery and required time off for recovery. Hite, who emerged from retirement once before to take on a leadership role, has previously indicated that he views his role as a temporary one.

Interim Town Manager Joe Waltz

Interim Town Manager Joe Waltz said in a recent interview that a new chief would be interviewed by a panel consisting of local Chiefs of Police in the region, followed by a municipal panel to include Julie Bush, director of human resources, Interim Chief of Police Bruce Hite and himself.
Mayor Hollis Tharpe said Wednesday morning that a field of about 50 applicants had been pared down to five, and those five were to be interviewed for the Chief of Police position throughout the day.

Tharpe went on to say that about 50 applicants had also applied for the Town Manager position, which became vacant following the November 25, 2016 resignation of Steve Burke to take the Public Works Director job in Manassas City. Burke had served as Front Royal’s town manager since 2011.

Tharpe said the field for the town manager position had been narrowed to two candidates, who would be interviewed by council members on Monday, prior to a scheduled work session. He declined to say if Waltz, who has been serving as Interim Town Manager, was one of the two remaining candidates for the job.

The Mayor said officials advertised for the Town Manager position for a month, to ensure a good pool of applicants. He elaborated that because the council was amidst budget work, it was important to get Waltz settled in as Interim Town Manager, and to complete that process.

Tharpe also had high praise for B.J. Wilson, Director of Finance. “We are very, very lucky to have him. He’s put in a lot of hours, making this budget process easier overall. We are very, very fortunate.”

Wilson took over the helm following the March retirement of Director of Finance, Kim Gilkey-Breeden, who worked over 30 years for Front Royal. Wilson served as the town’s finance business manager for eight years prior before to moving into his current position.