Village officials are looking for someone new to lead the police department after Chief Thomas Rush informed them he wants to leave that position.
Rush received a score of 66 — four points short of the passing mark of 70 — on a civil service test in March, his second try at the exam. Rush has been chief since February 2010, when he was appointed to the job after John Pytlovany retired.
In a letter to Mayor Kris Kastberg, Rush said serving as chief for the last 15 months has been a great experience, but he would like to return to his previous position as a sergeant.
Two civil service exams were offered for the chief’s position, according to Schenectady County spokesman Joe McQueen. A promotional exam, available to people who have worked at least 36 months in the village as a police sergeant, was given on March 5. Daniel Thouin, who is a Scotia sergeant and 2010’s highest-paid officer with total compensation of $100,889, passed the test with a score of 78.
Another exam, which was open to anybody, was advertised, but no one took it, according to McQueen. Jason Temple, currently a lieutenant with the Schenectady County Sheriff’s Office, took that exam last year and received a score of 72. That list is good for four years, McQueen said.
The village is not required to hire somebody from the lists immediately, according to McQueen.
“If they hire someone who is not on one of the lists, they are provisional and they need to pass within the time frame that’s allowed,” he said.
The board could have petitioned the Civil Service Commission again to allow Rush to serve for another year and take the test a third time. If he had failed that exam, however, he could not have been appointed again.
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