Policy on hiring in Youngstown police and fire departments remains

By David Skolnick

YOUNGSTOWN — Despite concerns by the mayor about lawsuits if Youngstown doesn’t change its policy on hiring firefighters, city council voted to maintain the status quo.

“I wanted a change to minimize the potential for litigation,” Mayor Jay Williams said Wednesday.

Williams wants to eliminate the policy of two lists — one for white men and one for minorities and females — to hire firefighters and police officers.

The city typically hires one minority and/or female for every two white men it hires for jobs in its police and fire departments.

Minorities and women do not typically score as high on written tests to be firefighters and police officers as white men, Williams said. Just because they usually don’t score as high as white men, the minorities and women hired by the city are highly qualified to do those jobs, and it’s important to have diversity on the city’s fire department and police force, Williams said.

Council made it clear at a Jan. 25 safety committee meeting that it didn’t support changing the longstanding policy for now.

Council members backed up their previous statements with a unanimous 7-0 vote Wednesday to hire nine firefighters using the two lists.

Williams said he is concerned about a lawsuit because a federal-appeals-court decision declared the use of two lists by Shreveport, La., to be unconstitutional. The use of two lists in that city is similar to what is used in Youngstown, he said.

The mayor wanted to temporarily change the policy to put everyone who passed the test on one list and still hire qualified minorities.

He proposed studying the matter further to come up with a permanent solution.

The Shreveport decision was in a federal court district that doesn’t have Youngstown in its jurisdiction.

Two lists are permissible under Ohio law.

Council members agree that the hiring policy for firefighters and police officers needs to be re-examined. But they said there’s no rush.

“We need to form a commission to work on this issue and get it right,” said Councilwoman Annie Gillam, D-1st.

Fire Chief John O’Neill said the city will hire six white men and three minority males no later than Feb. 13.

Three women passed the written civil service test to be a firefighter, but all failed the physical agility test.

The current policy ranks potential employees by the top written score, as long as they also pass an agility test.

Those in the top 10 are at the top of the list in being offered the firefighter jobs, which have a starting annual base salary of $24,000.

Those taking the written test needed a score of at least 70 to pass.

Also Wednesday, council approved a three-year contract with its police patrol officers union.

The contract includes a salary freeze in annual base pay, and restructuring the salaries of future hires.

skolnick@vindy.com