With Bonney Lake Police Chief Mike Mitchell’s last day rapidly approaching, Mayor Neil Johnson is looking internally for his successor.

Johnson on Friday said his plan for replacing the outgoing chief will be to promote Assistant Chief Dana Powers to the top spot on an interim basis, with the goal of making the position permanent next year.

“My plan is to have Dana become interim chief so over the next year I can see if it fits her,” he said.

Powers has been with the department for more than 20 years and rose to the assistant chief position under Mitchell. Johnson said Powers is “part of the fabric of Bonney Lake” and said he feels strongly about giving employees an opportunity to advance and be successful.

Johnson said he has spoken to Powers “at length” since Mitchell made known his plans to retire this fall. He said he has spoken with other in the city and around the county as well and the general consensus is that Powers is ready for the big chair.

However, because the role of chief is quite different from even that of Assistant Chief, Johnson said the year-long trial period is not only for him to get a sense of Powers as chief, but also for her to see if she wants to stay in the job.

“She may find, quite frankly, after a year she doesn’t want to do it,” Johnson said, but added, “I expect this to work.”

Johnson said he would evaluate how Powers responds to pressure, deals with the administration and council and manages the department’s budget, as well as the staff. He also said her history in the city and her knowledge and ties to other Pierce County cities and agencies played into his decision.

This will be the second police chief Johnson has selected during his tenure as mayor, hiring Mitchell in 2006.

At the time, some members of the Police Guild were not particularly pleased with Johnson’s, but the mayor said he believes he made the right choice and learned from the experience.

“I have to do what’s best for the city, regardless of what some people want,” he said.

Johnson said he has not yet officially spoken to the guild about Powers, but because of her long tenure in Bonney Lake she “wouldn’t be a stranger.”

“A lot of it comes down to trust. They have to trust me,” he said.

Johnson said over her year as interim chief, she would be given a series of benchmarks and goals and would meet regularly with City Administrator Don Morrison. Johnson said he would also gather feedback from the guild, staff and the city council, but ultimately, he would like to see Powers take over on a permanent basis.

“I trust Dana and I think Dana trusts me,” he said.

An interim chief can be appointed without city council approval, but any permanent hire must be approved by the council.

Johnson said a formal announcement is planned for later this summer.