Wayland HRDEI committee urges Select Board to skip police chief search

WAYLAND -- June 20, 2023, Wayland's HRDEI committee voted 8-0 to urge the Select Board to make Acting Police Chief Ed Berman permanent without a national search. Vice Chair Karen Blumenfeld and member Mayling Ellerman were tasked with finalizing the letter, which argues Berman's roughly 14 months in the role and his response to the committee's 14-point reform list constitute sufficient vetting; Blumenfeld said a new search "would break morale within the police force." The committee also heard from Derek Dean of the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service on the SPIRIT dialogue program, and tapped members Janot Mendler de Suarez and Chloe Voigt to plan a fall convening with Assistant Town Manager John Bugbee as town liaison. Organizers reported the May multicultural festival drew over 800 people on a budget built from a $2,500 Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, $1,000 from the Wayland Cultural Council and about $6,500 in fundraising. Chair Yamini Ranjan, Blumenfeld and clerk Jessica were re-elected 8-0.