An ad in Saturday’s Globe and Mail seems to have taken quite a few people by surprise.

The job ad invites applications for Barrie’s top cop position – chief of police.

With Chief Wayne Frechette having announced he will be leaving the position on Sept. 1, 2010, one could surmise the police board has started the lengthy process to replace him. The problem, however, stems from the fact three members of the five-member police board (one member is under investigation by Ontario Civilian Commission on Police Services) say they didn’t know anything about the ad.

The City of Barrie has confirmed it “did not review, place or pay” for the ad.

Frechette told The Advance he was contacted Thursday by Mayor Dave Aspden and given a ‘heads-up’ regarding Saturday’s ad.

How can a police board replace its chief of police without knowing about it? How does an ad appear in a national newspaper without the city paying for it?

While we haven’t been able to determine the origin of the ad, we have been able to follow a thread that starts with the police chief threatening to quit in January, The Advance publishing a story about the situation last Thursday, the ad appearing on Saturday, and the chair of the police board announcing his resignation on Monday.

The fact that no one is taking responsibility for placing the ad is unsettling. But the way the ad appears in print is appalling.

“The ideal candidate has extensive knowledge in all areas of police work, and able to balance the needs to providing a safe community with fiscal responsibility, and implementing the policy’s of the Barrie Police Services Board.”

The ad has spelling errors, is grammatically incorrect and lacks a degree of professionalism needed to attract applicants of a high caliber.

It makes the city, and its police force, look ridiculous.

We deserve to know who approved this ad and why it was handled so poorly.