Rob Scholey drops bid for Charlevoix police chief
CHARLEVOIX — One of the two finalists in the interview process for the Charlevoix chief of police position has withdrawn his application.
Robert Scholey has been serving as the interim chief since the resignation of former police chief Gerard Doan in November amid sexual harassment allegations.
Scholey advised council of his decision to withdraw his application on Friday, Jan. 20, citing a need to focus on his family rather than dedicate his time to a stressful position.
"I have not slept well and it has been very stressful for me since Gerard left," Scholey wrote in an email to Charlevoix City Manager Mark Heydlauff.
"After careful consideration and a long conversation with my wife, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy to become the next chief of police for the City of Charlevoix.
"Since I have taken on the role of chief in October, I have had seen the time, effort and dedication the job requires. With so many other things I have going in my life, teaching, coaching, and of course my family. I believe if I took on the role of chief one or more of the other things would suffer and they all deserve my best effort.
"I have been very happy in my current role as the deputy chief and would like to continue in this role. Spending more time doing police work and helping make our staff better every day. This decision saddens me, but I know it’s the right one," wrote Scholey.
More:Charlevoix police chief: Two finalists vie for job left empty by scandal
With Scholey dropping out of the race, that leaves former EMS coordinator Jill McDonnell as the sole contender for the job.
McDonnell, 53, has 28 years of law enforcement experience under her belt and worked as the emergency management coordinator for Charlevoix and Emmet counties from 2020 to 2022. Prior to that, she held various positions with the Auburn Hills Police Department, leaving there as a lieutenant operations division commander.
She has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Ferris State University and attended the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia in 2014.
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A second round of interviews with city council had been scheduled for both Scholey and McDonnell at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 26. According to Heydlauff, city council met on Jan. 24 and has decided to move forward with the process, leaving McDonnell as the sole interviewee.
Four applicants were interviewed for the position on Jan. 18, including Scholey, McDonnell and Kurt Etter, a public safety director from Jonesville, Michigan, and Kevin James, an undersheriff from Laramie, Wyoming. Scholey and McDonnell were the only two that had made it to the final round.
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Rob Scholey drops bid for Charlevoix police chief
