This should go without saying, but City Manager Curt Walton is not exactly sending the right signals on this vital hire for Charlotte’s future. The finalists for the job must be open to public inspection of their track records as law enforcement professionals or — frankly — I have to question the continuing viability of the city manager form of government for a city the size of Charlotte.

Representative government requires certain inefficiencies. Transparency is one of them. If you want to do all your business in secret you need to do that in the private sector — and at non-publicly traded companies at that. If you want to head a police force of 2000 with a budget of $175 million a year, prepare for some questions, some citizen vetting, or stay the hell home.

Outwardly, at least, Walton seems determined to ignore the firestorm of dissatisfaction with CMPD’s recent performance. Check out what Walton is looking for in a new chief, as detailed by the Uptown paper of record:

The profile calls for:

• A visionary leader committed to providing timely and responsive information.

• Someone with the ability to positively affect legislation that helps CMPD become more effective and better serve residents.

• A person with commitment to the development and enhancement of community policing.

Bzzzt. Fail. Pathetic boilerplate. We do not need a frickin’ lobbyist — we need a crime fighter. It is a vicious lie that somehow — in America in 2008 AD — we do not have sufficient legal mechanisms in place to protect civil society. True, we choose not to fund our criminal court system but passing more laws with not fix that.

Also of minimal importance is the ability of the next chief get along well with Mr. Curt Walton. In retrospect it is clear that Pam Syfert opted for Chief Stephens chiefly because of his willingness to spin and Power Point crime stats with endless happy talk. If the next CMPD chief is not making Walton, city council, and Mayor Pat McCrory cringe weekly with his or her candor then they are not doing their job.

Speaking of Mayor McCrory — anybody seen him? Not running for governor, I mean. Where is the Mayor on this vital question of public safety for his city?

Is it asking too much for Pat McCrory to stand up and tell us what he wants in the next chief of police for Charlotte? To promise to release the names of the finalists for the job no matter what the unelected city manager might prefer to do?

Bonus Observation: I emailed several members of the city council to answer Anthony Foxx’s de facto challenge to come up with a better idea than his trial balloon to take money from the city’s capital roads budget and apply it to court costs, Foxx’s aim being to free-up cops from court time where they cannot patrol streets.

My better idea: Take any money from the sale of the land at the 277/Caldwell cloverleaf over and above the $20m. that must fund the NASCAR Hall of Shame and put it in the capital roads budget. Then, and only then, consider shifting some out for proven methods of increasing cops on the street. You’re welcome.