LIMA — Mayor David Berger is repeating his call for changes to the city’s hiring practices, while 3rd Ward Councilman Jesse Lowe II maintains the issue lies elsewhere.
In a letter to Lima’s City Council and the Civil Service Board dated June 15, Berger reiterated his belief that a pass/fail “complete list rule” is necessary to determine a pool of qualified candidates, considering all job applicants who pass the civil service exam rather than the current “rule of 10,” in which only the top 10 passing candidates are considered per open position.
“These decades of practice have created the negative rumor mill surrounding city hiring, with folks saying, ‘It is not worth my time to take the test because I won’t be considered or I won’t get an interview,’” Berger wrote.
Berger made a special effort to note that he does not want to see changes to the testing standards or methods, nor does he want to see changes to the Civil Service Board’s review process. What he does want to see is this change go into effect soon, voicing frustration that nothing has yet been done.
“As of this date both the HR Committee and the Civil Service Board have met several times and discussed many proposals,” Berger wrote, “but neither the HR Committee nor the Civil Service Board has brought any proposal to Council for consideration.”
Lowe maintains that the current rules for the city’s hiring process are good and the focus on this issue should instead be on recruiting minority candidates, holding job fairs or making public announcements through local media. Instead, Lowe feels this is more an effort to discredit him than to address a lack of minority job candidates.
“There was no pressure on the HR Committee until I announced that I was running for council president,” he said. “The mayor continues to try to demean my character.”
Lowe applauds the work that the Civil Service Board is doing in trying to create a fair hiring process and says that the key to creating a more diverse workforce lies instead with the city’s administration.
“The hiring process as it stands, in my opinion, is good,” he said. “What’s bad about the process is that, at the end of the day, the administration gets to hire who they want to hire.”
The Civil Service Board is putting a packet together to take before the HR Committee to discuss the issue, according to Lowe, and he believes this issue is too important for rash action.
“I refuse to be rushed into making a decision that is going to be detrimental to the hiring practices in the city of Lima,” he said. “People are counting on us to make good decisions, and I will not fail the people.”
Berger’s letter will be received by Lima City Council during its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Lima Municipal Building.
