In his final meeting as chairman of the Police Commission and with 23 days left to his term, Joel Faxon was honored by his fellow commissioners and members of the police force on November 7 for his 12 years on the commission.

Faxon was first elected to the commission in 2011 and was first named chair in 2015. He has served along with three different police chiefs, and was part of hiring two of them, current chief David Kullgren and his predecessor James Viadero.

“I’ve enjoyed my 12 years here. It’s been interesting, it’s been rewarding, it’s been fulfilling, and it’s been challenging,” he said Tuesday night. “Maybe three terms has been too long, but now it’s time to turn the seat over to someone else.”

Faxon said the current makeup of the board was “extraordinary” and that he was “proud to serve alongside them.” A few hours later as election results were announced (see related story), only Scott Cicciari and Brian Budd were still on the commission. They will sit with three new members on December 5 after Stephen Sedensky and Neil Chaudhary were not re-elected during this week’s municipal elections.

Previous Police Commission Chairman Paul Mangiafico was in the audience at the meeting, and Faxon credited him with being important to him learning on the commission.

Outgoing First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, who also had 23 days left to his term, said he served with Faxon on the Police Commission in 2015, and that service paved the way to him becoming first selectman.

“It takes special people to get up and lead, and Joel is one of them,” Rosenthal said. “Today, 60 people are running for office. People don’t realize that they’re all volunteers — only the first selectman is a paid official.”

Rosenthal said the department has “thrived” under Faxon’s leadership, the promotions have been “spectacular,” and the hiring of Kullgren was a “home run.”

“Joel’s steady leadership put the department on a good path that I hope one of you knuckleheads [the police commissioners present] continue,” said Rosenthal.

Kullgren said Faxon has been a “fantastic asset” to the police department.

“From the staff level, [Faxon] has been steady, knowledgeable, and ethical, and his ability to do research has helped us in many ways,” said Kullgren. “They broke the mold when they made this guy.”

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Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.