POLICE CHIEF AT JACKSON WILL MOVE TO CITY HALL

JACKSON -- Police Chief Larry Koenig will resign soon to accept the new position of personnel director and office manager at Jackson City Hall.

The resignation is effective upon the appointment of a new police chief, which should take place within the next 45 days, said Mayor Paul Sander in making the announcement Tuesday.

Sander said: "During the closed session portion of the meeting of the Board of Aldermen Monday evening, the board voted to accept the recommendation of City Administrator Carl Talley for the internal transfer of Koenig to become personnel director and office manager at Jackson City Hall. The resignation is effective upon the appointment of a new police chief."

The vote was 7-0 with one member absent.

Koenig, 44, an 18-year police officer, was appointed police chief in December 1990, following the retirement of Robert "Red" Clifton.

Sander said the switch is at Koenig's request and Talley's recommendation. He said: "This is a lateral move for Larry. It's not a promotion or demotion, but a move into an area of city government he wanted to get into, and is qualified to do.

"Larry has expressed an interest in moving from the police department for quite some time," said Sander. "The city administrator and the board felt this new position fits his qualifications. He has a degree in business administration and considerable management experience."

Koenig said: "I was looking for a different aspect of administration within the city, and the opportunity presented itself at this time. I've enjoyed police work over the years, but I want to take advantage of this opportunity to use my experience in another area of administration. Who knows when another opportunity like this may come along in the future?"

Sander said Koenig's position will fill a void created by two retirements at city hall that were not filled.

"Jackson continues to grow while we are still operating city hall with a short staff. In addition, Carl will be giving Larry considerably more duties," the mayor said.

Sander said Koenig's job description will be finalized and approved by the Board of Aldermen at its Jan. 18 meeting.

Sander said Koenig's move should not be seen as a stepping stone to the position of assistant city administrator or city administrator upon the retirement of Talley.

"This is an internal transfer. This is the man Carl Talley wanted for the job of personnel director-office manager, and the person that Carl and the board felt most qualified," the mayor said.

The mayor said: "As to how this move fits in with our eventual plan to create the position of assistant city administrator, or replacing Carl after he retires, that has not been decided by the board. But I will say the job is not automatically a stepping stone to a higher position."

Sander said creation of the position Koenig will fill is just another step in the mayor and the board's goal to prepare Jackson for growth. "This move is part of an ongoing reorganization of the city infrastructure," he said. "We're creating another level of management in which Larry and Mark Brown, our new public works director, will play a role.

"Larry will deal with the internal administrative affairs of the city operations at city hall, while Mark will handle the public works side. There should be no concern about their paths' crossing. Both will report directly to the city administrator and the Board of Aldermen.

"We feel very fortunate to have Larry move into city hall because of his excellent rapport with the general public and his excellent record as police chief," the mayor said.

Koenig is a native of Jackson. He attended St. Paul Lutheran School, and graduated from Jackson High School in 1967. He received a bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1971 from Southeast Missouri State University.

Koenig was a Jackson reserve police officer from 1971 until 1972, when he resigned after being elected to the Board of Aldermen. After leaving the board in 1976, Koenig was appointed a full-time police officer.

Koenig is serving a third term on the Jackson school board, and has not decided whether to seek a fourth term before his term expires in April. "I do not feel my membership on the school board would have an impact on my position at city hall," said Koenig.

Sander said: "We will announce soon that applications for the chief's position will be accepted from within and outside the police department and the city. The board's goal is to have the new police chief on the job within 45 days. We do not want an interim chief; we want to go directly from one chief to another. Until that time, Larry will spend some time at city hall but still be responsible for the operation of the police department."