Quincy police chief stuns town with resignation

QUINCY — Quincy Police Chief Bob Heimbach suddenly and unexpectedly resigned on Wednesday.

At a special meeting of the Quincy City Council, the city council unanimously approved a six-month severance package, though city officials struggled to explain to a confused and angry public why the chief had so unexpectedly quit his job.

“The public, and I’m certain I speak for a lot of people, would really like to know what is going on,” said Quincy resident Sunshine Didra. “We like the chief, he likes the town, he’s doing a good job as far as whole bunch of the citizens are concerned.”

“So now we’re concerned, we don’t know what’s going on,” Didra added.

City Attorney Allan Galbraith, who spoke for most of the meeting, said that the process was mutual and that both Mayor Jim Hemberry and Heimbach have been discussing the situation with the police department over the last six months, and that the two agreed that Heimbach’s leaving would be a resignation.

“The chief and the mayor have negotiated the chief’s resignation,” Galbraith said. “The chief requested this be a resignation.”

Galbraith, however, was clear that the mayor did not ask for Heimbach’s resignation.

The council vote was needed to approve a severance package that was not originally part of Heimbach’s employment contract, Galbraith added.

Neither Heimbach nor Hemberry were present at the meeting. Heimbach has not returned phone calls for comment.

But Quincy residents attending the special meeting were concerned and suspicious, especially as it seemed to many that Galbraith was not being entirely forthcoming about why Heimbach resigned.

“The question that I see here is: who initiated the resignation?” asked retired Quincy resident Phil Anderson. “Who made the initial conversation?”

“The mayor, in discussions as long ago as six months, started discussing the situation in the city, what’s going on with the police department, and there was sever frustration,” Galbraith said. “By everybody, not just the mayor.”

However, Galbraith said that Heimbach’s employment with the city is not ending over cause, that is, his resignation is not a response to a particular incident or complaint.

The council also voted to hire retired senior Washington State Patrol officer William Larson as temporary chief, approving a five-month contract while the city looks for another police chief.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com