David Price

The village of Fredonia is going to advertise for a new chief, with David Price set to retire.

Price’s impending departure was brought up by Mayor Michael Ferguson at a Board of Trustees workshop this week.

“It kind of hurts me to mention this,” Ferguson said. “I wanna thank Dave for 30 years of service to this community.”

The mayor continued, “His dedication is not only as public safety officer, but as a leader of men and women, and also a community member, a resident here. You know, when I first met Dave, he said, ‘This is my community.’ It has been in his heart for 30 years. We thank you for your dedication, we thank you for the time away from your family, and we wish you nothing but the best — and we’re all looking forward to the party Dave’s going to throw in his new house.”

Ferguson then said Fredonia will advertise for Price’s replacement. “I’ll be in on those interviews as well and make a recommendation to the board as to the direction we want to go,” the mayor said.

Price was named police chief in January 2022, after previous Chief Phillip Maslak retired.

Former Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace was the Board of Trustees’ initial choice for police chief in December 2021. However, three members of that board were out of office as of 2022, and the new board rescinded Gerace’s appointment and hired Price.

Whoever replaces Price will have some serious issues to address. The department is significantly short-staffed. Everyone in Fredonia seems to agree its headquarters in the cellar of Village Hall is rundown and inadequate, and has been for many years, but no one has ever successfully pursued any plans to deal with it.

Price told trustees earlier this month a recent resignation and a maternity leave left him short by four officers. He also mentioned that one of the police cars is rapidly aging and will need replacement soon.