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HIRING PRACTICES Ashland aims for diversity, but numbers show shortfall City officials deny ex-councilor's claim of 'institutional problem' Comment By Sam Wheeler for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler for the Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 2:04 PM Updated Jan 23, 2015 at 3:12 PM By Sam Wheeler for the Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 2:04 PM Updated Jan 23, 2015 at 3:12 PM » Social News Just more than a quarter of the city of Ashland's managerial staff — and none of its appointed department heads — are female, a statistic described by a former councilor as an "institutional problem" but viewed by the city administrator as a "snapshot in time" that doesn't reflect the city's recruiting efforts. As the city of Ashland prepares to file a job posting by February and begin the recruiting process for a new police chief, former City Councilor Eric Navickas and his wife say those who are a part of the hiring process need to focus on diversifying the city’s workforce from department heads down. Currently, all nine of the city’s department heads — those who are hired by way of the mayor and City Council's approval — are white males, while 29 percent of the entire 247-person workforce is female, excluding seasonal and temporary employees. “When these problems arise they usually reinforce themselves. So you get this cloistering troupe of white men, and they continue to hire more white men, and it's up to citizens … to check these problem and force a remedy,” said Navickas, who divides his time between Ashland and his rural farm just outside Prospect. “I don’t want to point fingers or say it’s any specific person, it’s an institutional problem,” Navickas said. Of the 247 full-time, permanent employees at the city of Ashland, 175 are male and 72 are female. Of the department heads, managers and supervisors, there are 32 males and 11 females, according to data provided by City Administrator Dave Kanner, who makes recommendations to the mayor and council members concerning the nine department head appointments and recruiting efforts. In Jackson County, just over 51 percent of the population is female, according to 2013 U.S. Census estimates. “It is true that all of our current department heads are white males, but our management staff goes much deeper than the department head level,” Kanner said in an email. “We have adhered to both the letter and intent of our policy. "The fact that all of our department heads are currently white males is not evidence that we haven’t done so," he said. "It’s a snapshot in time of the results of recent recruitments that were conducted fairly and consistent with our Affirmative Action Policy.” The city, Kanner wrote, has made every effort in its hirings to “absolutely and unequivocally,” follow the letter and intent of its policy and will continue to do so. He also suggested Ashland's managerial makeup would stand up well compared with other governments in the area. "My guess is that we are actually one of the more diverse local government staffs in the Rogue Valley," Kanner said. Ashland Mayor John Stromberg defended the city’s hiring efforts in an email to the Tidings after an earlier article, writing: “What can't be deduced from the current make-up of the city staff is that this is due to lack of effort to recruit qualified women or minority candidates, as required by our Affirmative Action Policy as well as the personal values of the City Council, myself, the city administrator, city attorney and our (human resources) manager." Stromberg noted that in hiring for two of the most recent four senior administrative positions, women were among the finalists, although they were not ultimately selected. But Amy Goddard-Navickas thinks something has gone astray with the city's hiring process. “I think that they are not trying hard enough. If you think of (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) and the efforts that they go through to find qualified actors that are people of color or women and giving them the opportunity to do world-class theater, then why can’t the city of Ashland do it?” said Goddard-Navickas, an Ashland activist, organic farmer and artist who is married to Eric Navickas. Current City Councilor Pam Marsh wrote in an email to the Tidings that, "Corey Falls, an African American, was hired and trained by the city, and would no doubt have been our next chief (if he had not been elected county sheriff) — an outcome that would have undermined any legitimacy to this whole argument. ... That's a pretty darn great outcome, and the city's hiring and training practices are largely responsible." Reach freelance reporter Sam Wheeler at [email protected]. By Sam Wheeler for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Sam Wheeler for the Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 23, 2015 at 2:04 PM Updated Jan 23, 2015 at 3:12 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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