The ‘Friends and Family’ Mayor

First, it was failure to enforce minimum housing codes. Now, despite court orders, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson has failed to overhaul hiring and promotion practices in Cleveland City Government.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Peter Corrigan criticized the mayor, as well as former mayors Jane Campbell and Mike White, for continuing non-transparent hiring and firing practices. Corrigan’s 15-page decision specifically sites the ignoring of civil service testing requirements.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the judge penalized the city $900,750 and appointed a special master to oversee Cleveland’s Civil Service Commission. Corrigan also ordered Jackson to stop hiring, promoting and transferring employees.

The Civil Service Employees Association sued the city in 1994 over employment practices contending  Cleveland  skirted hiring rules such as inappropriately appointing temporary employees that were allowed to continue with long-term city employment without taking civil service qualifying exams. Some city departments were cited making positions arbitraily noncompetitive so that they could hire without using lists of eligible applicants. Some 900 city employees remain employed in 2008 who never took the Civil Service Exam.

Mayor Jackson has tried to amend the City Charter to grandfather those employees into the system. He also believe that court has little jurisdiction over the matter and that he is carrying out the will of the electorate. Jackson does have support, but it is only from the families and friends of  inappropriately-hired workers.

Perhaps during his upcoming junket to Italy, the Mayor can lecture Italians on how to better govern inappropriately. Naples and Palermo might pay hefty consulting fees.

Jackson combines a unique style of arrogance and incompetence in his management of Cleveland. Let’s hope voters penalize a man who skirts the law in their name.

~ by deadmanscurve on April 15, 2009.