Boynton Beach city manager reverses course, names permanent police, fire chiefs
BOYNTON BEACH — In May, Jim Stables said it would be "inappropriate" for him as Boynton Beach's interim city manager to permanently fill the position of police chief.
That task, Stables said, would best be undertaken by whoever was chosen by the city commission to be the permanent city manager.
But Stables reversed course this week, appointing Joseph DeGiulio, 48, as police chief and Hugh Bruder, 59, as the city's new fire chief. The decisions were announced Thursday but had been confirmed through a memo to city employees more than a week ago.
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DeGiulio, a member of the police department since 2001, closes a revolving door of police chiefs that began with Michael Gregory's resignation in April and was followed by the departure of Interim Chief Vanessa Snow, who quit a month later. DeGuilio had been serving as interim chief since Snow left.
Bruder moved into the interim fire chief's role after Stables, Boynton Beach's fire chief since January 2021, was named interim city manager after Lori Laverriere was fired April 19 during a city commission meeting. Bruder joined the department in 2020.
Stables told the Palm Beach Post in mid-May that it would be "inappropriate for me to make long-term plans when I'm a short-term interim. I don't want to be presumptive in picking that person and then the person that comes in behind me, if I'm not selected (as permanent city manager), would have to live with the selection I made. An interim (police chief) makes the most sense."
Attempts to reach Stables this week through a spokeswoman were unsuccessful.
The decision to name Bruder as the permanent police chief puts Stables' own future with the city into question.
Sources say Stables, 55, agreed to take on the interim city manager role as long as he could return to fire chief if he wasn't hired as the full-time city manager. The city commission is expected to reduce the list of city manager candidates to three finalists at its next meeting on Aug. 16.
Stables is earning $200,000 as interim city manager, a $52,000 raise over his salary as fire chief.
How does a potential merger with PBSO fit in with the announcements?
DeGiulio is a former New York City cop who joined Boynton Beach police in August 2001 and worked his way up the ranks from patrol officer to running the department. He was one of three finalists in 2018 for the job as police chief that went to Gregory.
How long DeGiulio runs the police department could well depend on whether the city chooses to merge its law enforcement services with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
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PBSO provided the city with a $42.4 million proposal last week to take over police duties. If the city commission chooses to join forces with PBSO, deputies in Boynton Beach would report to Sheriff Rik Bradshaw, not DeGiulio.
The appointments of DeGiulio and Bruder became known last week and the hirings were even mentioned by city commissioners during their meeting Tuesday night. Stables kept mum, even during a portion of the meeting reserved for the city manager to provide the commission with a report.
Jorge Milian is a journalist covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jmilian@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at Caneswatch. Help support our work, subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach names interim police, fire chiefs to permanent positions
