FERRIDAY — Though rumors began to circulate around the parish that a new Ferriday police chief had been selected Friday, mayor-elect Glen McGlothin said they were not to be believed.

“I understand that there were some rumors and stories going around, but those are untrue,” McGlothin said. “We won’t even begin to interview until Monday. After that, it’ll probably take me a couple of days to make up my mind.”

The mayor appoints the police chief position in Ferriday, and McGlothin has formed a four-person committee to interview and recommend chief candidates to him.

The panel is composed of former police chief Bobby Sheppard, attorney Anna Ferguson, who will serve as town attorney when McGlothin takes office, businessman Ronnie Freeman and Ferriday resident Otis Hollins.

One of the 10 candidates who originally applied for the job was current police chief Richard Madison, who said Thursday he did not want his name to be considered for the job, Ferriday mayor-elect Glen McGlothin said.

“(Madison) came to me a little while back and asked me if he could submit a résumé, and I told him to go ahead,” McGlothin said. “I did it not out of kindness, but because that man has a lot of qualifications and at least deserved consideration, and I have an interview set up for him Monday afternoon.”

Madison said Friday he had submitted his résumé for the committee, but he now believes the position was already chosen before the committee even started interviews.

“If you know there is a job there, and you apply for it and then you find out the position is already filled, why would you waste your time?” Madison said.

In the meantime, Madison said he plans to spend the next four years working to make the chief’s position elected, something McGlothin has said he would also like to see.

“Any mayor you have in there, and not just Mayor (Gene) Allen, is going to have some play in there, no matter how much latitude they allow the department,” Madison said. “If the position is elected, the chief is accountable to the people, but when he is appointed if he does something against the mayor he is seen as being disloyal, and he is going to have to ask himself, ‘How far do you want to stretch that?’”

Both the new chief of police and McGlothin will take office July 1.