CLARKS SUMMIT - Nearly eight months into its search for a police chief, borough council found itself at a standstill.
The once long list of applicants shrunk as candidates who expressed interest in the job either couldn't accept the borough's offer or had moved on - leaving council with no answer.
Then, on Nov. 25, council President Gerrie Carey received an email from Carbondale police Sgt. Joe Laguzzi.
"He asked if the borough was still looking for a police chief," Ms. Carey said. "We didn't waste much time from there."
Moving quickly, council members interviewed Sgt. Laguzzi last week, intrigued by his 20 years of service with the Carbondale Police Department and his more than 10 years of teaching DARE to elementary school students.
Days later, on Wednesday, council unanimously voted to hire Sgt. Laguzzi of Clifford Twp. as borough police chief.
"It's a perfect fit," Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said. "Plus, he has excellent benefits from working so long, so he is able to work with our offer."
Though the contract has not been finalized, Ms. Carey said the new chief's salary will likely be around $30,000 a year.
First, he has to work with the Carbondale mayor to execute his retirement, something Sgt. Laguzzi, 41, hopes to have done by the end of the month.
Ideally, he said he will be working in his new role by mid-January.
"The city (Carbondale) made some offers for police officers with more than 20 years to retire, so I took it," Sgt. Laguzzi said. "That put me out there. But I am way too young to sit on the sidelines - it's not time to for me to go out and sit in a boat all day."
As a longtime officer and 12-year member of the county's SWAT team, Sgt. Laguzzi said he has learned communication and cooperation among officers - and agencies - is of the "utmost importance."
Among the ideas and strategies he plans to implement as borough chief is a sense of teamwork, something he said will help foster the department's growth as a unit.
"I am coming from a really tight-knit group of officers, where we have a specific rank structure and everyone pitches in and helps out," Sgt. Laguzzi said. "I know the officers in Clarks Summit are great, so I think there will be a similar feel within this department. I can't wait to get started."
Contact the writer: miorfino@timesshamrock.com, @miorfinoTT on Twitter