City Manager Roger Stancil will make the final decision, but he wantslots of inputbefore he does. The two candidatesmet with reporters to give their views of the job and how they wouldhandle it.
The hot button issue is the fact that one candidate, Michael Boykin,career officerand former chief in Wilmington,Del., has three children out of wedlock. He answers critics this way.
"I know what kind of person I am. I know what kind of character I have. Iknow what kind of professional I am. And ithas not deterred me from the responsibilities that I have and provided to my kids,"says Boykin.
Thomas McCarthy now serves as chief of the Gaston county police department. He alsoaddressed character.
"My definition is that you should lead with integrity, keep your word and obey the law," says McCarthy.
Criticism of Boykin does not sit well with some.
"I just don't think they should use that as their reasoning for hiring apolice chief," says one citizen..
"I'm really for him not just because he's African-American, but becauseof his character and just reading about him," says Barbara Prescod.
The 389-person Fayetteville department serves the sixth largest city inthe state and has been without a chief since RonHansen retired a year ago. Both Boykin and McCarthy emphasized the importance of communitypolicing.
"What I've found is this is a very good police department and I'm real excited about the foundation that's been laidhere," says McCarthy.
"There's a need to reach out to the community to have a betterrelationship with them, to bring about betterunderstanding," Boykin says.
McCarthy and Boykin also addressed the issue of "perceived" racial inequities in thedepartment. Both said they woulduse training and the officer selection process to improve the racial atmosphere.
Stancil says there is much more work to do before he announces hisdecision.
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