Mayor Joe Ganim’s transition team has issued recommendations for improving government efficiency. How do you rate the report?
- Usual BS (54%, 120 Votes)
- A little bit of both (23%, 52 Votes)
- Excellent recommendations (23%, 51 Votes)
Total Voters: 223
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www .bridgeportct.gov/filestorage/308124/Ganim_Transition_Task_Force_Report.pdf
Above is the location of the 55-page report. Interestingly there have been 55 people who voted on the contents. How many have read the full report and then voted? How many have read a little here or there and then voted? How many actually read little or none but were ever ready to provide an opinion and vote? Does much change in Bridgeport? Time will tell.
John Marshall Lee, I’m sorry but I bet only a few people have read this report. I’ve posted a section from the report and if anyone has followed the comments on OIB over the past eight years from Donald Day and myself you will see everything listed being posted here on OIB. Well the ball is now in the court of Mayor Ganim and I must ask, Joe, what are you going to do, you can’t say oh I didn’t know, Joe you know now. What are you going to do, Joe? Time will tell (JML).
JML, I hope you are feeling better.
Diversity within the Department
Findings
Lack of diversity in the hiring and promotion processes for minorities within the City’s Police and Fire Departments is a significant issue.
Demographics show out of the last three police recruitment classes, only seven blacks and 13 Hispanics were hired. However, there were 46 white officers hired and five of the 46 were women.
There were no black or Hispanic women hired in the last three classes.
Demographics from the last three fire department recruitment classes show no women were hired. In addition, only six black and nine Latino applicants were hired. In comparison, 25 white firefighters were hired by the City.
Demographic review for the most recent promotions in 2014 and 2015 within the Police Department show only five of the eighteen officers promoted were of minority background ethnicities.
Recommendations
1. Implement hiring and promotion practices that will ensure the Public Safety/Emergency Services personnel adequately reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the community.
Sources: Connecticut General Assembly, Bill No7103, An Act Concerning Excessive Force
City of Bridgeport Police Department Recruitment Class Demographics
Doing It Local www .doingitlocal.com/2016/01/45505
Lennie, how come no talk of Maria Pereira being her usual pompous arrogant self over at Hooker School???
tallguy316, I think Lennie is afraid of Maria Pereira. Did you see the commentary about the person bitten by the racoon? The racoon bite was more newsworthy than the acquittal of two gangbangers for a murder in plain daylight and caught on video.
tallguy316, part of the beauty of OIB is any member can be a reporter and submit links to stories they’d like to share:
www .ctpost.com/opinion/article/Overstepping-authority-6824258.php
Ron Mackey, it’s clear there were inherent problems hiring blacks and women for both the police and fire departments. What’s equally clear is blacks and women were hired for both departments prior to David Dunn being given the position of Director of Civil Service. What’s equally clear is the only group of people that fared well under David Dunn are white suburban males.
What’s not so clear is why would Mayor Joe Ganim leave David Dunn in this position for which he isn’t qualified and whose civil service policies have lead to this glaring disparity in hiring. Finally, what’s not so clear is why aren’t blacks and women outraged and appalled by Mayor Ganim for leaving this obstructionist in a position he isn’t qualified to do. C’mon Joe, the black community deserves better than you’re giving them.
The Bridgeport Fire Department is currently hiring and a physical agility test is being used that was designed to keep women from being firefighters. The test is called CPAT and it was designed by white males who think, feel and believe jobs in the fire service should be male dominated. As a company officer for over 10 years, 5 as a Lieutenant and 6 as a Captain in the 2nd largest fire house in Bridgeport, I’ve had the pleasure to work with numerous women and every one without exception were great firefighters, dedicated, honest, with a strong work ethic and each and every one were an asset to the fire service. I never went to work and wondered if any female firefighters could do the job or hold their own at a fire and did I mention none of the current women firefighters are CPAT certified? Mayor Joe Ganim should be ashamed of himself for implementing this policy of exclusion for women and their desire to be Bridgeport firefighters. Everyone who believes in the rights of women to fulfill their destiny should be outraged. There isn’t any data that shows anyone who passes CPAT, women or men would make a better firefighter and this exam when used is unfair to women, who fail the test at a disproportionate rate than men.
This test places too much emphasis on strength, rather than firefighting skills, it is administered inconsistently, it requires tasks that are not needed to be a firefighter and there are more equitable tests available the city has declined to adopt. There is a difference between men and women, but if you can still do the same task, even if you do it a little differently, they shouldn’t care. In fact every city in America that uses CPAT has a problem recruiting and hiring women and Hartford quit using CPAT because they knew the Hartford Fire Department is a better place to work because of the diversity women bring to the job.
In 2014 for the first time in over 30 years no women were hired for the Bridgeport fire department because of the policies that are being embraced by Mayor Ganim. Prior to the policies Mayor Ganim now embraces there were three black, two Latino and two white females hired and they all are quality firefighters who have been running into fires for over six years just like their male counterparts, without incident. The Bridgeport Fire Department should be committed to improving diversity and shouldn’t have a problem with reviewing the test and looking at tests other cities use. Mayor Joe Gamin should be ashamed of himself for implementing this exclusionary practice. Women have a place in the fire service. As an ex-con who ran for Mayor by asking for a second chance it defies credulity to think now he wants to deny women a first chance.
Yes. I know of a very qualified woman who did not pass that part of the test this month.
Donald Day, you’re not credible. Your motive is clear to me even in a room full of very dark smoke.
“In 2014 for the first time in over 30 years no women were hired for the Bridgeport fire department because of the policies that are being embraced by Mayor Ganim.”
Joe Ganim won the Democratic Primary on August 16, 2015 and went on to win the November 2015 Election. If you want to help blacks and women to get into the BFD, start by properly informing potential candidates of the current established process. I’m assisting two young African Americans from BPT who don’t want to be cops and desire to become firefighters. Share this to begin with:
www .ct.gov/cfpc/cwp/view.asp?Q=246722
www .ct.gov/cfpc/cwp/view.asp?Q=399722
Joel, I’m glad you are helping two young African American men to become firefighters and I hope you follow Donald Day’s suggestion. Mayor Ganim must change the current hiring process for the fire department or there will never be any women as firefighters and I’m sure that’s not what Mayor Ganim wants but so far he has done nothing to make any changes.
Joel, let’s deal with your last concern first. I think it’s great you are assisting two young black youth and if it ever becomes a problem tell them the Firebird Society will assist him and the President is Darrien Penix at 1586 Barnum Ave or contact him via Facebook. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, which resulted in 40 to 50 young blacks, Latinos and women who are now Bridgeport firefighters. That’s what I do.
With respect to your first assertion I am not credible, if you read what I said was Mayor Ganim continued with the same exclusionary practices that were implemented prior to his election that resulted in no women being hired. The system was broken when he took over and he knew why it was broken and if he doesn’t change it the results will be the same.
We met with Mayor Finch and told him in 2012 if you implement CPAT we can assure you no women will be hired for the first time in 30 years, he chose to listen to David Dunn and the results were no women hired. The same courtesy was extended to Mayor Ganim. Time will tell, really time will tell.
There have been articles to support the fact some female triathletes have passed the CPAT on their first effort. It’s designed for a male under 30 who is 5 foot 10 to 6 foot 2 in height, who possesses commensurate agility and strength. The test inherently rules out females who do not iron man train seven days per week.
Zena Lu, you are the first person who fully understands the problem with using CPAT and how it discriminats against women and a lot men who would ordinarily make great firefighters. We gave this information to both Mayors Ganim and Finch and yet they both threw this information away without considering its validity.
Donald, I’m going to assume Zena Lu is a female because that’s who it would take to figure that out. Shame on all the men who ignored that fact and intimated women may turn out to be superior in those fields. It’s true in every other aspect of life. Sorry Donald, I should have stopped at Zena Lu must be female.
That’s funny, Lisa. I don’t think it matters whether it’s a man or a woman, I’m just happy someone took one minute of their time to Google CPAT to see how inherently unfair it is to people in general and women specifically. Lisa, why won’t Joe do that as well?