By Donna Porstner
Staff Writer
April 3, 2006
STAMFORD -- City Director of Human Resources Dennis Murphy has ruled that the Fire Commission's controversial hiring procedures were "not inappropriate."
Murphy did not go into detail in his six-paragraph memo to Mayor Dannel Malloy last week summarizing the results of his investigation that stemmed from complaints that commissioners' friends and relatives were selected over more qualified applicants.
Murphy said only that he suggested in his findings that the commissioners devise a new policy for hiring firefighters and that he was pleased to see changes.
"After review with the commission it is my view that the process adopted for both entry level and promotional interviews is job relevant and in compliance with city Human Resources policies and procedures," Murphy wrote.
The Fire Commission approved a new hiring policy last month that requires members to score applicants' oral interviews on a scale of 1 to 10. Each commissioner's assessment will be kept on file and available for public inspection should applicants question why they were not hired.
The Fire Commission previously did not keep records indicating how entry-level firefighters were selected for job openings, or records of how members voted on appointments.
When commissioners last hired firefighters in November, they decided in a two-day closed-door session. The Advocate filed a complaint with the state Freedom of Information Commission because hiring decisions must be made in public and members' votes must be recorded.
Murphy said Friday his investigation entailed meeting with the fire and police commissions, reviewing their hiring policies, and looking at the questions asked during interviews. The Fire Commission did not have a written hiring policy until last month, but they were required to follow civil service hiring regulations, Murphy said.
He found no problems with the Police Commission's hiring practices.
Murphy wrote the memo last Monday after The Advocate inquired about the results of the two-month investigation.
Malloy instructed Murphy to review the fire and police commissions -- the only volunteer boards with hiring authority -- in January after The Advocate reported that top scorers on the firefighters exam questioned how commissioners' friends and relatives were selected over them.
The fire chief's son, the mayor's nephew and the son of Commissioner E. Gaynor Brennan were among eight alternates next in line for jobs until the commission threw out the list and restarted the hiring process in January.
Four entry-level firefighters already hired from the same round of interviews in November kept their jobs.
Three applicants who scored high on the written exam but were not offered jobs told The Advocate they got the impression the process was fixed when their interviews lasted only a few minutes and they were not asked personal questions.
Fire Commission members said they did nothing wrong, but reinterviewed candidates to defend the integrity of the process.
Malloy said he gives Murphy's investigation "high marks" because it makes hiring practices clear in the fire and police departments. It's reassuring to know all applicants are treated fairly and asked the same questions, the mayor said.
"That's all you can do because some people are never going to be happy because they are not going to be hired," he said. "Some people are just really bad interviews."
Looking back, the Human Resources Department should not have asked the fire commission to interview 120 applicants, Malloy said. The pool of applicants interviewed was expanded to allow blacks, Hispanics and women who scored low on the written exam to be hired.
"I think that was a lesson HR learned," Malloy said. " I think they weren't aware of the pressure they put on a volunteer board to get so many interviews done in a short period of time."
It is unclear whether the Personnel Commission, which is charged with upholding the integrity of the civil service process, will review the Fire Commission's hiring practices.
In January, Personnel Commission Chairman Frank Green said he wanted to see the results of Murphy's investigation before proceeding. Green could not be reached Friday.
Like police and fire commissioners, members of the Personnel Commission are appointed by the mayor. Murphy also is a mayoral appointee.
Personnel Commission member Kathleen Lombardo, a Republican, said she's surprised Murphy did not present his findings when her commission met Thursday night.
"I thought we'd be more involved in it," she said. "It seems to me we're the commission that doesn't exist. We don't get included on so many things and I don't know why."
Murphy's memo is a "non-response," Lombardo said, because she was expecting more detailed information about how the Fire Commission hired firefighters, and suggestions for improvements.
"I think we should get a copy of whatever the recommendations were that he gave the commission," Lombardo said.
Personnel Commission member Peter Nanos, a Democrat, said he doesn't know whether the panel should get involved.
City Rep. Joseph Coppola, R-15, a former Belltown fire chief who has criticized firefighter hiring practices, said he's pleased to see the commission will improve its procedures, but more must be done to ensure fairness.
"The fact that the new interview questions are the same for everybody, that's a step in the right direction," Coppola said.
But top scorers on the written exam should have more of an edge, Coppola said. It's a shame that the only applicant to get a perfect score on the August exam was not offered a job, he said.
"If a person studies his butt off and strives to get a perfect score, that tells you that person wants the job, is intelligent and would probably be a good employee," Coppola said.
Lyons, the fire commission chairman, said members now will review applicants' raw scores -- which had not been done before -- and factor them into decisions. But the oral interview score will be most important, Lyons said.
Malloy said there shouldn't be too much weight on the written exam because the commission needs flexibility to make the department more diverse.
"Good test-takers want a system where they get double credit, and I don't think that's the way to find the best candidates," Malloy said.
Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.