There have been three candidates who applied to be the next St. Helens Police Chief. This comes as the current interim chief, Joe Hogue, is actively suing the city and Mayor Jennifer Massey for blocking his promotion to the permanent role.

The Columbia County Spotlight reports that the role has currently been opened only to internal candidates, which include Interim Chief Hogue and Sergeants Jose Castilleja and Mathew Smith. Tomorrow, during a work session, the St. Helens City Council will discuss the review process for selecting the next chief.

The position of chief has been vacant since the resignation of Chief Brian Greenway in October. Greenway is being investigated for “unprofessional and inappropriate conduct.” Interim Chief Hogue says that Mayor Massey retaliated against him because he raised alarms about that alleged misconduct. He has also accused Massey and Greenway of conspiring to get her elected as mayor.