NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Superior Court Judge Michael Kamp ruled Monday New Haven Acting Police Chief Renee Dominguez must vacate the position. This is in response to a complaint filed by Revs. Boise Kimber and Donarell Elder.
The judge says the city’s charter does not allow a city official to hold temporary office for more than six months.
Dominguez was appointed to the position in July after former Chief Otoniel Reyes retired. In December, Mayor Justin Elicker submitted Dominguez to the board of alders for a permanent chief, but the board did not approve. The mayor then had 30 days to re-nominate her. In the meantime, Dominguez withdrew and said she would retire from the force once the search for a chief was completed.
Elicker said during a press conference Monday he is “disappointed” by the judge's decision and has a different interpretation of the charter. He said they will appeal the decision and Dominguez will continue as chief.
“We believe we have strong legal grounds to appeal the case,” the mayor said.
He said they want to keep her in the position for continuity during the search. He said it doesn’t make sense to have a new chief every six months until it is filled. The city has the position posted, hired an outside recruiter, held two community engagement sessions, held targeted stakeholders meetings, and has a community survey closing this week. The mayor said filling the position shouldn’t take much longer as applications close early next month.
He called the lawsuit “politically motivated” and said Kimber does not like Dominguez in the position.
“I think it’s easy to stand on the sidelines and submit lawsuits and do press conferences and criticize and disrupt. As mayor of the city, my responsibility is to keep the city safe,” he said.
Pastor John Lewis with the Christ New Testament Church in New Haven has been vocal against her permanent appointment. He said it’s not a personal issue but doesn’t think she’s qualified.
“There’s a lot of discrepancy in the community that feels like she’s not fair when it comes down to promotions,” he said. “The community has the right to pick. The Alders do not want her to be in that position and the Alders represent the community.”
The pastor says those in higher roles in the department do not represent the community they serve. He said there are officers of color who are qualified to be in those positions.
“The mayor should respect that and stop overriding what it is that the community wants,” he said. “I think the mayor needs to comply like he would want everybody else to comply.”
Alderwoman Honda Smith of the 30th ward also thinks the city should follow the judge’s order. She voted against Dominguez’s nomination in December because of what community members shared with her.
“A lot of them didn’t have any confidence in her. They didn’t feel that she was fair,” she said. “There’s people that are in position now that are capable of leading the department that people do respect and trust.”
The president of the board of alders, Tyisha Walker-Myers, said in a statement to FOX61, “Today’s decision in Boise Kimber, et al. v. Renee Dominquez regarding the interpretation of the charter language is clear. The authority to approve or deny a police chief sits solely with the Board of Alders. The city should respect the decision of the judge and name an interim chief or submit a name for consideration as chief. Again, the City Charter is clear about the powers of city officials and should be followed and respected."
New Haven’s Corporation Counsel Pat King said many are not looking at the reality of the situation.
“In my view, to have a merry-go-round of police chiefs every six months is not necessarily in the best interest of the city,” she said.
In a statement to FOX61, Acting Chief Dominquez said, “ I have been focused and committed to performing my duties as Police Chief since I was named Acting Chief in March 2021. This ruling has no effect on me continuing to successfully perform my job for the officers and the community.”
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