Very nice comments from the commentary- BUT - THE NEW POLICE CHIEF WORKS FOR THE CITIZENS OF MARTINS FERRY, not the Mayor! Mr. Mayor is not a good decision maker and this needs to be remembered the next election !!

The mayor should do the right thing and solicit a well qualified chief to be hired from the outside just as Wheeling has done. Mr. Mayor, you need to be very specific and meticulous about that process. You need to make sure that you hire someone who recognizes the importance of respecting ALL the citizens of your town. Your police department needs a good cleaning,sir. Hartman and Carpenter are tight as in friendship. We, the people, know what you have planned, Mr. Mayor. We are not dumb, and we do not want more of the same. You need to look outward to find your new chief and his or her record and job performance needs to be squeaky clean. Martins Ferry is not New York or Los Angeles, so all the micro management is not needed. Just do the right thing for a change, man.

To the last poster: I wish that I could sell mine, but I don't think anyone wants to move to Martins Ferry these days unless it's a last resort.

barry made the mfpd a joke!! not that those idiots needed any help. we all know some cops were in the know ( so to speak) about the situation barry was in, and wallace wants to hire within the mfpd? how stupid is he really? if this occurs we should petition him out of office, and run him out of town. if he promotes from within he is the dumbest SOB the citizens ever voted in!! hire a chief from outside, not someone who has been tainted from the past chief, or you will get what we've always had, ABUSE OF AUTHORITY , AND LATELY NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR STUPIDY!!!! this has got to stop now!!!! can you hear us phil? or are you as arrogant as carpenter?

the only right choice is to hire from the outside!!!barry is not the only bad seed in the mfpd, many, many people know this to be true!! i bet they are many licking thier chops at the chance to have the power barry had.sooner or later we will be in the news again.hire from the outside phil, more than martins ferry is watching your every move on this!!!

MARTINS FERRY HAS 'SOME' GREAT COMMITTED LEADERS AND PERSONNEL AND IT IS POSSIBLE THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO IMPACT THE DIRECTION OF THE CITY. MAYOR WALLACE NEEDS TO ALLOW THE DIRECTOR/SUPERVISOR OF THE POLICE DEPT. TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE SELECTION AND CURTAIL THE 'ALL ABOUT ME -MR MAYOR' MEDIA BLITZ. ANYONE WHO KNOWS THE TRUE INSIDE- INSIDE KNOWS WHO IS THE BEST LEADER!!

Wallace says he can hire from within the police department. Didn't Carpenter testify that he showed the pictures to, and shared info with, some fellow officers? Wouldn't that make them guilty of the same crimes, after the fact? Who in the Martins Ferry police department are his fellow officers? How can the residents feel secure knowing officers with the same morals as Carpenter might be the next chief? Maybe Wallace was one of the people the evidence was shared with. Martins Ferry should look long and hard at the people running for office next election.