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January 08. 2015 12:01AM Our View: A worthwhile goal Former City Councilor Eric Navickas says the city isn't living up to its goal of race and gender diversity in hiring staff, and he and some like-minded folks will be watching closely as the city looks for a new police chief. We haven't always seen eye-to-eye with Navickas, but when he's right, he's right. Navickas notes that all of Ashland's city department heads, as well as managerial staff, are white men. That wasn't always the case. Martha Bennett was city administrator from 2006 to 2011. Paula Brown headed the Public Works Department for 10 years, leaving in 2007. But since then, Navickas notes, the city's hiring record doesn't match its stated policy. He points to Ashland's affirmative action policy, which says the city's goal is to "employ qualified women and minorities in all job categories in proportion to their availability in the labor market." While some fields may attract more men than women, it's probably fair to say the number of women and minorities available in the labor market is not zero. Where we part company with Navickas this time is when he calls the city's hiring practices "racist and sexist." That's a stretch. Three of six City Council members, as of this month, are women, and only one of them is new to the office. We doubt those councilors would be silent if they thought city staff were deliberately passing over women or minorities in hiring decisions. But the council should also speak up now and ensure that every effort is made to build a diverse management staff. http://www.dailytidings.com/article/20150108/OPINION/150109884 © 2015 Copyright © 1995-2011 Crain Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use Privacy Statement -->