News Unanimous council approves Paxton as police chief

Five days after a divided 3-2 vote by the Vinton City Council fell short of the majority needed to confirm Ted Paxton as the new police chief, the council met again Tuesday night to continue dealing with the issue.

The Tuesday meeting, however, was very short. Mayor Watson again asked the council to approve his choice of Paxton to replace Jeff Tilson. Ron Hessenius made the motion; Ron Elwick seconded it. City Clerk Cindy Michael read the roll call, and the remaining four members, Dave Vermedahl, Chris Bendull, Tami Stark and Zach Parmeter all voted yes. 

During last Thursday's regular meeting, Stark and Parmeter voted no, and Bendull was absent. The three "yes" votes fell short of the four needed for a majority. Watson had said from the beginning of the hiring process that it's important for the city to have a consensus on the decision.

Watson congratulated Paxton, who told the city leaders he looked forward to moving to Vinton and meeting local citizens. Paxton's wife and two of their five children accompanied him to the meeting. He said the family would be in Vinton this weekend for the Halloween events and trick-or-treating. 

Paxton has been police chief in Eldora since 2007; he began his law enforcement career at Albion in 1997; before joining the Eldora force in 1999. He has also served as a part-time Hardin County deputy for 14 years.