Former Chester County D.A. offers to serve as Coatesville city manager, police chief

Joseph W. Carroll, former two-term district attorney of Chester County, is offering himself to the troubled city of Coatesville to help it deal with crime and budget woes.

Carroll, 62, attended the City Council meeting Monday night and surprised the board with his application to become both city manager and police chief and to do the two jobs for less than the $95,000 the former manager was making.

"I am offering to handle the positions on a temporary basis for a salary they can afford," Carroll said Tuesday from the Berwyn office of Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel, a Philadelphia-based law firm where he has worked since stepping down as district attorney in January.

The council's immediate reaction was circumspect. Two members said Tuesday they would have to look at all applications. Others did not return calls.

Carroll lives 13 miles from Coatesville, in East Bradford. But he long has had affection for the old steel town of 13,000 people, with its concentration of low-income families in the state's most affluent county.

He ran a pizza joint in town in the 1970s, and held a job at the old YMCA. When he was district attorney, he bought a house on North Eighth Avenue and moved in to show solidarity with the community during a spate of arsons. While there a year and a half, he held twice-weekly open houses.

Carroll said his experience managing the District Attorney's Office - with a bigger budget than the City of Coatesville's - puts him in position to help with Coatesville's beleaguered finances. The city has been meeting its needs by drawing down a trust fund established after sale of the water utility. It drew $2 million in a year from the fund, which is down to $11 million, a council member said.

City Manager Gary Rawlings was forced out last month for reasons never stated by the board.

Carroll said his career as a lawyer and district attorney also put him in a good spot to deal with crime - including two homicides in one recent week - and to handle employment lawsuits against the city by former police officers.

Tom Hogan, the current district attorney, has suggested that recent buyouts in the police force - the chief, the lieutenant, and four officers - left the city undermanned to fight crime.

"The Coatesville Police Department is doing everything it can under difficult circumstances," Hogan said after the second recent killing, on July 2. "The best way to prevent these street homicides is to have a visible and active police patrol presence. The Coatesville P.D. lacks sufficient officers right now to provide that patrol presence."

Chief Julius Canale, who took early retirement, is continuing in command on a day-to-day basis until a replacement is found, officials said.

Council members, after hearing Carroll's offer Monday, did not jump to accept it.

"I want to thank Joe Carroll for his generous offer; we need you," the West Chester Daily Local News quoted member Ingrid Jones as saying.

Two members said Tuesday they welcomed Carroll's application but were leaning toward promoting the assistant city manager, Kirby Hudson.

"Right now, we still have to receive applications from different people who might be applying," said Jarrell Brazzle. "My person opinion is, Mr. Hudson, our assistant, should move up to be the city manager. He knows the city, and he has done a good job."

Councilman David C. Collins said he agreed Hudson should be considered.

"I feel the city does have a number of problems, but none of them are insurmountable," he said. "We do have an effective leadership in place."

Neither the board president nor vice president could be reached for comment.

Carroll recalled that several years ago, on New Year's Day, he publicly resolved to do all he could for Coatesville, which at the time he felt "lacked leadership."

"My impression of the new council members is they are starting in the right direction," he said. "But they are so limited by their budget that they are having a tough time turning things around. . . . I think they just need help."