Ramsey Picks Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey is staying at his post in the City of Brotherly Love.
There had been speculation over the last couple of weeks that Commissioner Ramsey might be headed to Chicago, where mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, President Obama's former chief of staff, has been very interested in hiring Ramsey to lead the police department there (see previous story).
Mayor Michael Nutter announced that Ramsey, a native of Chicago, has decided to stay where he is and he will not be leaving the post as Philadelphia Police Commissioner for the foreseeable future.
In March, the Commissioner gave strong indications that he might be going back home.
"The lure of Chicago was great, I was totally prepared to go, I have to be honest with you, I was," said Charles Ramsey. "Chicago is my home town, I'm a thrid generataion Chicagoan. My grandparents are buried there, my mom and dad are buried there.
Mayor Nutter says the two had intense conversations over the last couple of weeks, and Wednesday called a news conference to make the announcement. Ramsey and other top brass of the police department at the news conference at City Hall.
Listen to the news conference...
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Charles Ramsey says the police superintendent job in Chicago would have been a dream job and he spent weeks mulling over whether to pursue that or stay as Commissioner in Philadelphia. His decision to stay came in part, he says, because of his respect for the members of his force.
"When I have my morning meetings, and I look around the table and I see the deputies I have and the other key people in the department, and I just recognize how good they, and how much potential this department has," said the Commissioner. "We have a very special bond here, I mean, we went through some very tough times in this department and you can't just set that aside."
In a light moment, Nutter, who got the Phillies starting rotation to autograph a ball for Ramsey, showed the Commissioner and ad campaign they were considering to keep him in Philadelphia.
"It reads, Dear Commissioner Ramsey, what would Cliff Lee do? With Love Philadelphia, XXX"
Ramsey's decision may have also been helped by Mayor Nutter, who raised his salary from $195,000 a year to $255,000, though that's still less than Ramsey might have received in Chicago.
Reported by Mike Dunn, KYW Newsradio; Dave Huddleston, CBS 3
