List is down to three candidates

By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer
With the impending planned retirement of Kissimmee police Chief Fran Iwanski scheduled for November, the city of Kissimmee is deep into a national search for her replacement.
Kissimmee City Manager Mike Steigerwald began interviews last week with the top three candidates out of 140 applications received since March, when the listing was placed. Eight of those applicants are from Osceola County.
“I want to give myself time to find the right person,” Steigerwald said. “If none of these candidates in the first go-round are good, we have time to relist.”
The hiring committee Steigerwald put together – Kissimmee Deputy City Manager Desirée Matthews, City Personal Director Beth Stefak, Osceola County Sheriff Bob Hansell, St. Cloud Police Chief Pete Gauntlett and former Kissimmee police chief Frank Ross – is looking for a chief with a similar management philosophy as the rest of the city’s management team.
Additionally, the ideal new chief will have experience in Florida law enforcement.
“Florida, with the population, the politics, the government, the laws – what we have is unique enough for it to be important for somebody to need to have experience in the state of Florida,” Steigerwald said.
The top three candidates vying for the position are Orange County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jefferson Lee Massie, who is currently serving as interim chief for the Windermere Police Department; Clearwater police Major Mark Teunis and Woonsocket, R.I. police Chief Thomas Carey.
“These three are the all-stars of the police chief world,” Steigerwald said. “Between (Ross, Gauntlett and Hansell), they pretty much knew of all three candidates.”
Massie impressed the committee with a clean background check and the responsibilities he’s held at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and those he’s currently learning in Windermere.
“He’s going through the chief’s experience now,” Steigerwald said.
Teunis’ expertise in many different law enforcement roles is important to the committee as Steigerwald wants someone who has “significant” experience in patrol.
“Citywide, our police officers are our biggest ambassadors of the city,” he said. “Teunis has risen up through the ranks and is one of those guys who’ve done it all in their department. He’s their go-to guy.”
Carey may be based in Rhode Island now but spent most of his career working at the St. Petersburg Police Department.
“He went into a (police) department that faced some issues and he’s appeared to have done a good job under tight financial constraint to turn the department around. Morale has risen,” Steigerwald said. “That’s the kind of experience we’d love to see here.”
Next stage of life
Kissimmee police Chief Fran Iwanski said she was interested in helping the new chief become accustom to Kissimmee and the responsibilities of the job, particularly if the person is hired before her Nov. 30 retirement date.
“I would stay to get them acclimated to the community and all I do,” she said. “The biggest thing they have to know is how important a role the community plays in the prevention of crime. Someone new is going to have to grow that relationship.”
Iwanski had made it no surprise that she planned to retire in November. When she was promoted five years ago, she entered the state’s Deferred Retirement Option program, which puts a five-year cap on a state employee’s tenure in their position.
“She basically put the clock ticking on her tenure here,” Steigerwald said. “She’s really looking forward to moving on with the next stage of her life.”
That includes working and promoting the business Iwanski owns with her husband: the Orange/Osceola Safety Institute. She also planned to start a nonprofit substance abuse counseling center.
She may eventually consider political aspirations.
“I’ve always had an interest there. Everybody should be involved,” she said. “It’s going to take strong leadership in the future.”
For now, Iwanski said she planned to continue as status quo in a career she’s stayed with for a quarter of a century.
“It’s been a great journey. I’m thankful for having 25 years,” she said. “It’s taken up the greatest part of my life but I look forward to my new endeavors.”