Whitewater police chief in running for Minn. job
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James Coan
WHITEWATER — Police Chief James Coan is one of four finalists to become director of public safety in Mankato, Minn.
The finalists are scheduled to visit the city today and Friday for an interview, tour of the city and presentation to city staff and community organizations, according to the Mankato Free Press.
The city received 40 applications for the position. City staff pared the list to 15 and then to four finalists.
Coan told the Gazette last week he is seeking the job because it would put him closer to extended family in Minnesota.
Coan has been police chief in Whitewater since 2006. He served as police chief in Hudson for two weeks, attempting to be closer to his family in Minnesota, but he quit and returned to Whitewater. He and his family were unhappy there, he told the Gazette. He had been the chief in Whitewater since 1992.
Coan tried to move in 2001, too. He accepted a job as police chief in Apple Valley, Minn., again to be closer to extended family, but he turned down the job because his immediate family did not want to move, he told the Gazette.
The contract Coan signed in 2006 includes a clause that says if he leaves the city for other employment in the next five years, he will owe the city a monetary penalty.
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Jul 19, 2011 at 8:10 p.m.
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Mankato is a great place!
Feb 18, 2010 at 5:58 p.m.
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I'm guessing his immediate family still won't like Minnesota and will want to stay where they are now.
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