It is curious that Police Chief Margaret Ackley, who helped Mayor Daryl Finizio get elected four years ago, with her unsubstantiated complaints of harassment against his chief opponent, will now outlast the mayor in city employment.

Ackley, buoyed by a state law that makes it difficult to fire a police chief, will remain on the job when a new mayor is sworn in later this year.

Of course the mayor, who tried to fire the police chief, without success, got fired by voters instead, when he lost the Democratic primary last month.

So far, in the current race for mayor — Democrat Michael Passero against Republican Bill Vogel — there are stark differences between the two candidates in regard to the police chief.

In fact his opinion about the police chief's future was just one of many ways that Vogel differentiated himself from Passero during a recent endorsement interview with The Day's Editorial Board. A video of the interview can be watched on theday.com.

When asked about the chief, Passero said simply he supports her and her mission.

Vogel, on the other hand, acknowledged the legal problems of firing a police chief, but suggested that a careful mayor could find a reasonable and honorable exit for the chief.

Indeed, it is time for the chief, who has barely returned to the responsibilities of the job, since finishing a 10-month paid leave imposed by mayor, to go. The department is a shell of its former self, beset by terrible morale problems that fall principally at the chief's door.

Most worrisome is that the deputy chief, who has been managing the department in the chief's figurative and actual absence, is apparently shopping for a new job outside the city.

The chief set out to retire more than four years ago, a plan largely botched by Mayor Finizio.

Vogel suggests he will help her finally make it happen, without an unrealistic financial settlement, which he notes the city cannot afford.

"I just think what we really need to do is to get a new police chief and one that is going to be able to build the morale as well as the manning of the police department," Vogel told the Editorial Board.

"I am not trying to be critical of Chief Ackley ... but let me put it this way, if we had a Navy ship with as much trauma as this one, the commanding officer would have been changed out immediately."

With the gloves on, the candidate adds about the chief: "She would be very well served to retire and could retire very honorably as the first woman police chief in New London."

With his club out, the candidate says: "I think what she really wants is a legal settlement ... We can point out she is going to have to wait a long time for that and if you leave now you might hold your head high. ... I think there is room to negotiate with the chief. ... She may not want to deal with a new mayor."

Vogel's discussion about strengthening the police and public works departments begins about 29 minutes into the interview.

I have to say it's the first time I've heard what sounds like a grownup talking about how to turn New London's fortunes around, a detailed description of how to give the city a professional government again.

Every voter who cares about the city's future should listen to the entire interview.

Tune in, too, to the mayoral debate planned by The Day for Oct. 26 at the New London Science and Technology Magnet School.

The Democratic primary is over, but the election season is in full swing in New London. There are two good candidates with different points of view on the issues.

And don't forget, Republicans, oddly enough, have often been some of the big vote-getters in the city, despite being outnumbered by a wide margin in voter registration.

As Vogel notes in the interview, it's kind of a small town, and people vote more for the candidate than a party.

This is the opinion of David Collins

d.collins@theday.com

Twitter: @DavidCollinsct