Deputy chief - not merited position?

A reader informed me today that he thought the deputy chief of patrol position (presently occupied by Matt McNamara, was not a merited position.

Apart from the double entendre here, the point that he was making was that he thought the position of "deputy chief" was an appointed position.

While that's true, the position is commonly bestowed on a deputy from the ranks; ex., John Miller was Commander of Patrol Division. My understanding is that there is no employment position of Commander. I believe Miller was a Lieutenant and, when Nygren put him in charge of Patrol, Miller was given the "title" of Commander. (By the way, what's his position now?)

We know that Andy Zinke left the Department (and left a mess in the sally port by his squad car), rather than face the humiliation of a "demotion" and re-assignment. Where is Zinke now? Did he really land a job somewhere?

However, the message from this reader got me to thinking not only about how McNamara got a job and got started so quickly, but what about David Devane, Ricardo Pagán and Sandra Salgado?

What is the policy of McHenry County Government for hiring new employees? Are positions supposed to be advertised, in order to attract the candidates with the highest qualifications? Or can a hiring manager just point his finger and say "That's my guy"?

The Sheriff might be able to hire about anyone he wants but, because that employee has the potential to bring risk to the County, does the County get a say in the matter?

Will the County Board flex its muscles and demand some straight answers? Or will it (they) just roll over and cross their fingers?

Has anyone seen even one word on the McHenry County Blog about Prim's putting on his new hat as King and annointing his friend and political supporter, Matt McNamara, with a new job? What do you suppose McNamara's pay is? $100,000/year?