OPP costing, a preliminary thought

The OPP costing was presented to Cobourg council Monday night with barely $98,000 different than the current police budget.
John Drapper, on his Cobourg blog, gives a very sane appraisal, while Ben Burn, on his blog, give a rather low key analysis.
Still, without having seen a report, it is hard to analyze. Basically, there is a nominal price difference. So, the debate becomes about service. In the shadow of the Nelles firing, the police force is not sitting in a good light.
What is probably more damaging is the public's opinion of the chief.  Following a lot of controversy, much of it his own mismanagement of the media, Chief Gary Clement is the greatest liability. He came to Cobourg with the specific mandate to bring improvements to policing in West Northumberland. Ideally, this would mean the amalgamation of policing to the region. However, his brash talk and brusk manner put him in a poor light. Negotiations never made headway.
Most recently, his very public battle with the police service board and his outrageous salary hurt him. While nothing was illegal, the public's perception of last year's pay out was completely mishandled. When compared with the Ontario premier, Clement's salary was more. It was embarrassing more than anything, but it demonstrated his continued inability to smooth over bad situations.
If Cobourg wants a solution, it is not the OPP. It is simply cleaning house. It is something that should have been done a long time ago. But Mayor Peter Delanty lacks the spine or political savvy to get it done. And, nobody on council or the police board is showing the fortitude to get it done either.
Sadly, it is only the citizen, the officers and the town's reputation that are hurt more than anything else.