Questioning City Hall's Hiring Practices

[Jim O'Bryan]

We will be running a series of stories on the hiring practices at City Hall, and other agencies do for a baseline, I am trying this little questionnaire...

[cmager]

Can you clarify your definition or intent of "Next of Kin" and "Friends/Relatives of Employees"? They should have these, or they should not be, or these should be disclosed?

[Meg Ostrowski]

To participate in this exercise, you must first log in.

[Mark Kindt]

Next of Kin and Relatives go to the governmental ethics issue of nepotism. Is it ethical for a city official to hire a relative? Etc.

[Mark Kindt]

Friends go to the issue of cronyism.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Can you clarify your definition or intent of "Next of Kin" and "Friends/Relatives of Employees"? They should have these, or they should not be, or these should be disclosed?

CM

This is just the first of a couple questionnaires, open to all that are registered. To get me a feel what citizens expect and demand from City Hall.

The Mayor's job is one of management, and overseeing management. As Safety Director another major part of his job is keeping us safe, and what is expected. Then there are questions of being fair, legal, honest, etc. Let's look at it. Hospital kind of beat to death right now.

Hypothetical... Say someone gets hired because they lived in the basement of someone else's home at City Hall, and they wanted them to have a job and move out. Is that ethical? Is it legal? How did it happen, and why. Were there special tests?

Later we will look at jobs, promotions, special treatment, employee's in the dog house, drug testing, and how are rules compare to other cities in the area.
Example - Hypothetical... Someone drives into a closed garage door in the middle of the day, while trying to light a cigarette. The door is messed up.

Do they take a drug test?

Are they given a ticket?

Would different people be treated differently?

Why?



Sorry, I got ahead of myself.

First let's look at the job application, and hiring practices, and then what happens downstream when they are rewarded or disciplined.

But first and most importantly what the residents and businesses of Lakewood expect, want and demand from our Law Director, Safety Director and head of City Hall.

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[m buckley]

Mr. O'Bryan, I just viewed your questionnaire and I couldn't help but notice an omission in your survey.

* Experience as a political operative.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mr. O'Bryan, I just viewed your questionnaire and I couldn't help but notice an omission in your survey.

* Experience as a political operative.

MB

Actually I am trying to keep this clean of all of the "other issues."

A longtime friend of both the mayor and I said, "I think you are being tough calling him the worst mayor of all time." I said, I wish I was wrong, I am a long time Mike Summers friend and supporter. Still, I want to remove all of that from this discussion. So let's look at it clinically.

What do other cities do, I have spoken with most cities there are Observers. Most were shocked we didn't have a "Code of Ethics." I then asked them about their hiring practices and management styles, and they vary greatly from Cleveland to Brook Park, to Rocky River, Bay, Independence, etc.

I think residents, would like to re-set the tone of City Hall, and then work on getting more involved.

Anyway, we will worry about "political operative" later.

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[cmager]

Can you clarify your definition or intent of "Next of Kin" and "Friends/Relatives of Employees"? They should have these, or they should not be, or these should be disclosed?

CM, This is just the first of a couple questionnaires, open to all that are registered. To get me a feel what citizens expect and demand from City Hall.

I get it, my question was perhaps as unclear as the survey (queue sketch of blind leading blind). The wording of the survey tortured me. I infer that the survey intends a position of "Applicant should not be Next of Kin" and "Applicant should not be Friend/Relative." OR if not a disqualifier, these should be more reasonably these should be fully disclosed. Is this correct?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Can you clarify your definition or intent of "Next of Kin" and "Friends/Relatives of Employees"? They should have these, or they should not be, or these should be disclosed?

CM, This is just the first of a couple questionnaires, open to all that are registered. To get me a feel what citizens expect and demand from City Hall.

I get it, my question was perhaps as unclear as the survey (queue sketch of blind leading blind). The wording of the survey tortured me. I infer that the survey intends a position of "Applicant should not be Next of Kin" and "Applicant should not be Friend/Relative." OR if not a disqualifier, these should be more reasonably these should be fully disclosed. Is this correct?

CM

You get to do the wording on the next Questionnaire.

You personally should probably not click on it, even though it is multiple choice, also do not click the last one.


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[m buckley]

Mr. O'Bryan, I just viewed your questionnaire and I couldn't help but notice an omission in your survey.

* Experience as a political operative.

MB

Actually I am trying to keep this clean of all of the "other issues."

A longtime friend of both the mayor and I said, "I think you are being tough calling him the worst mayor of all time." I said, I wish I was wrong, I am a long time Mike Summers friend and supporter. Still, I want to remove all of that from this discussion. So let's look at it clinically.

What do other cities do, I have spoken with most cities there are Observers. Most were shocked we didn't have a "Code of Ethics." I then asked them about their hiring practices and management styles, and they vary greatly from Cleveland to Brook Park, to Rocky River, Bay, Independence, etc.

I think residents, would like to re-set the tone of City Hall, and then work on getting more involved.

Anyway, we will worry about "political operative" later.

.

Mr. O'Bryan, I think I made a valid point that was not at all extraneous to this discussion.
And as an aside I'm weary of prominent citizens, long time friendships, life long Lakewood earthlings, all that crap. It's part of the problem not part of the solution.

[Lori Allen _]

Is it ethical for City Hall to hire relatives of employees? I don't know. What I do know is that there are many, many cases of this at City Hall. Last I knew, the police chief's wife worked in the police department. There are countless wives/husbands/ex-wives/ex-husbands, brothers, etc. both working at City Hall. This is not to say that they are bad people or don't do their job as well, but I would like to know if they were chosen because of their qualifications or simply because they were a relative of a current employee.

In regards to cronyism, take a look at the Civil Service Commission. Joe Gibbons and Ken Haber make up two of the three members. They are employees as they receive a paycheck from City Hall and are on the staff roster. If this doesn't smell like cronyism, I don't know what does.

The countless boards/commissions/task forces at City Hall is where cronyism really appears to take effect, but I suppose these people aren't technically "employees".

Here is what I would like to see in City Hall's hiring process:

1. Applicants must have no felonies.
2. Applicants must not have been convicted of a crime of violence or alcohol, drug, or theft crimes within the past five years.
3. Applicants must have less than six points on their license, as eight is too many, and you kind of have to try hard to rack up that many points.
4. Not a friend of Summers.
5. Do a complete background check.
6. No sex offenders.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mr. O'Bryan, I think I made a valid point that was not at all extraneous to this discussion.
And as an aside I'm weary of prominent citizens, long time friendships, life long Lakewood earthlings, all that crap. It's part of the problem not part of the solution.

MB / Lori

PLEASE trust me on this, take a breath let it develop.

MB you have a very, very valid point. But honestly it is like shooting fish in a barrel.

I am trying to see what we can define as a community to develop social and community norms. Your addition will be added to a future questionnaire.

There will be time and room for all of this, or start a thread, "O'Bryan is too much a drama queen I want no felons" or whatever.

There are massive failures at all level of City Government, not just Lakewood Hospital, as I have always said, the Hospital is merely another symptom.

Also some departments in City Hall, are actually starting function better with the Mayor busy lying errrr talking about the hospital and how to divide up the $32 million, errr $24 million, errrrr $20, million, errr $18 million, errrrrr $16 million for sure, errrrr.

When I painted City Hall with a large brush of "all morally bankrupt" I got some calls, emails, and "run-intos" that asked, "So I am morally bankrupt?"

So let's develop an idea of what a majority ask for or demand, Then look at some very real very serious failures, and best ways to address them.

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[Jim O'Bryan]

Well it seems that Lakewoodites place "Background Check" as the single most important thing in a City Hall Hiring.

After all, it should be as tough as getting a job at Baskins and Robbins.



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