Divided Council Confirms Stewart Pick For Chief Of Police

By John McNamara

NEW BRITAIN – The Common Council confirmed Mayor Erin Stewart’s nomination of Captain Matthew Marino to become the city’s 16th Chief of Police at its April 26th meeting.

The decision appeared to split council members, with a majority in favor of the Mayor’s choice but members from both Democratic and Republican caucuses favoring Deputy Chief Benjamin Murphy, one of the three finalists serving on the New Britain Police Department’s (NBPD) Command Staff. Mayor Stewart disallowed a request for a roll call vote on the nomination as the voice vote concluded

Before the vote Alderman Paul Catanzaro (R-5), who opposed the nomination, said he respected the Mayor’s choice and praised both Marino and Murphy but said he made a commitment to support Deputy Chief Murphy. Similarly, Alderwoman Luz Ortiz-Luna (R-AL) explained her opposition saying “I have to side with the community on this one. The community has spoken.” Alderwoman Desiree Costa (R-AL) spoke for the majority in supporting the nomination.

In a Facebook live post before the Common Council meeting, Mayor Stewart asserted that the Common Council “would have to prove that the person the mayor is requesting is unfit to do the job if they wanted to vote against that person.” According to Stewart, the three finalists “did a phenomenal job” at an April 17th community meeting. “Following the testing process, community forum and interview Captain Marino came out number one on the combined scores,” she said. Besides Marino and Murphy, Captain Adam Rembisz, the head of the Investigations Division, was in the running for the top job.

Captain Marino, a New Britain native who joined the police force in 2008, is a Republican member of the Board of Education, having been elected in 2021 to a four-year term.  He was lauded for his community involvements, including the Police Athletic League and New Britain Little League, during the search process. Marino, who leads the NBPD’s Professional Standards division, succeeds Christopher Chute who retired in January and was appointed the first Police Chief of the state’s 12-campus community college system. Photo: Police Chief Appointee Matthew Marino (NBPD)

Deputy Chief Murphy, Captain Marino and former Chief Chute rose in the ranks of the department under former Chief James Wardwell, a 2012 appointee during the administration of former Mayor Tim O’Brien. Wardwell, who retired in 2018 to take a security position with Travelers Insurance, is credited with helping the department overcome internal problems during his six year tenure, resolving harassment and discrimination cases in a prior administration, establishing the new command staff and restoring officer morale.

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