SCHENECTADY — Schenectady Police Chief Eric Clifford is looking forward to starting a new chapter in his life when he retires early next year, but for now, his top priority is ensuring that city leaders dedicate enough money to keep the department moving forward amid a looming financial crisis in the Electric City.
“My focus right now, up until Thanksgiving, and it could be beyond that, is to get a budget for the department that’s realistic, so that we can continue to do the work that we’re doing,” he said. “I’m actually working the hardest I’ve ever worked because there are a lot of loose ends that I need to tighten up. I got my checklist of things to do.”
That’s in part, Clifford said, because he is down a police commander. Assistant Chief Adam Nowicki is off at the FBI National Academy in Virginia until early December.
‘The right time’
When asked about his impending departure, the 55-year-old Clifford reflected Friday on the fact that his only grandson, who lives in Florida, will turn 1 in six days. The child is the son of Clifford’s oldest son, Andrew, who is in his first year of residency in internal medicine…