Ames Police Chief Dennis Ballantine has filed retirement papers with the city and is waiting to see if a petition will be signed to have a special Story County supervisor election.Ballantine, a Republican, was appointed to the position of Story County supervisor last Thursday night. He would succeed the late Fred Mathison, who died from injuries sustained during a car accident Jan. 6. Ballantine received two of the three votes to be appointed, with one of the panelists abstaining.Ballantine, who has been police chief for 17 years, said citizens can fill a petition with 3,500 signatures requesting a special election, but he hopes a special election will not be necessary because it could cost taxpayers between $20,000 and $40,000.”I hope no one does it,” he said. “I hope to prove that I can do a good job.”Ballantine said he decided to run for the position last week.”I was eligible to retire in the fall, and in the back of my mind I’d considered retiring,” he said. “It was an unfortunate manner which did it, but luckily I was chosen to be a supervisor.”Bob Kindred, assistant city manager, said Ballantine has submitted his resignation of retirement to City Manager Steve Schainker, but the search for a new police chief will not begin until it is certain Ballantine is sworn in as the new supervisor.”There is a a tiny bit of uncertainty of his position of county supervisor,” Kindred said. “The time frame is open-ended because Dennis needs to be assured he is appointed. He doesn’t want to give up his job if he doesn’t.”If there is not a special election, Ballantine said he would be leaving his current position in mid-February. He said he has some mixed emotions about the change.”I’m clearly going to miss the people. I have a job I love, but from time to time there are challenges and problems I have to deal with,” he said. “There’s a challenge of dealing with young people, but that also makes the town alive.”He said the department is a “great, quality department” with “good community policy programs in place.””I leave feeling good about what I did and what I can do [as supervisor],” Ballantine said.Kindred said Ballantine did “an excellent job as a police chief for the community.””Dennis has done a superb job of mixing professionalism as police chief that’s approachable and sensitive to people throughout the community,” Kindred said. “He does a superb job of using humor to diffuse situations that might be tense or difficult.”As supervisor, Ballantine said he made a commitment to get out of the walls of the courthouse and visit his constituents. He also wants to take an in-depth look at the budget.”I’m a fiscal conservative,” he said. “The budget interests me greatly.”If Ballantine is sworn in as supervisor, Kindred said it would probably take the city six months to fill the position of police chief.Without any petitions, Ballantine would serve as supervisor for 22 months and then decide if he’d run for the position.”The decision to run for supervisor would depend on several things,” Ballantine said. “I have to find if I’m effective, if I’m enjoying it and if I’m meeting the goals of the people.”