Democrats on the Monroe City Council have embarked upon an unwise and disappointing course that puts ideology over good administrative practice.
At the last Council meeting, the trio rejected independent Mayor Friday Ellis’ nomination of 24-year veteran Daniel Overturf to become the next fire chief of the city. He would have replaced longtime chief Terry Williams. The two Republican councilors supported the decision.
The vote perturbed the union that represents the Monroe Fire Department’s and apparently much of the rank-and-file, a number of whom appeared in his support at the meeting. An anonymous survey sent out revealed 85 percent of respondents approved of Overturf’s nomination, and numerous professionals recommended him. He was one of 17 to take and pass the hiring exam, which was conducted through the state, for the position, ranking tenth on education and experience.
He's also white, replacing the black Williams. Council Democrats are black and at various times over the past few months have voiced publicly that they would like to see more diversity in city leadership, and cited public safety departments as especially important to reflect that. Police Chief Vic Zordan, appointed by Ellis a few months after his 2020 election, like Ellis is white and replaced a black chief.
Certainly, to a community where about five-eighths of its citizenry is black department heads of that race can be a comforting symbol. Yet at the same time the race of a fire chief hasn’t anything to do with the job of putting out fires and would become relevant only if policy-makers see appointments as patronage tool.
Besides implying the city should hire a black as fire chief, Democrat councilors also hinted that Overturf was selected over more qualified officers and contrary to the wishes of the black community. They alleged they all had received dozens of requests to oppose his appointment, although only one person spoke against that at the meeting. They claimed political retribution for the presumed constituents would follow if they gave more details on the opposition, and one, Verbon Muhammad, alleged he had received a threatening phone call from a white resident – how he could tell the caller’s race with certainty without seeing the caller, who would seem unlikely to speak of his race during a harassing call, is a mystery – who declared there would be “consequences” in opposing Overturf.
The attitude behind the belief that spurious reasons elevated Overturf’s consideration, over several black applicants, and instead Ellis should pick presumably among the very highest exam scorers displays poor administrative skills. Education and experience certainly are important, but anyone who passes the exam legally is deemed qualified to hold the job. Importantly, the top executive must show abilities outside of the exam, such as leadership and a well-received management style.
The broad departmental support and outside recommendations indicate the organization would respond favorably to Overturf at the helm. Ellis was not wrong to take that into consideration.
Indeed, the disturbing aspect to the Overturf rejection was the apparent quota system Democrat councilors seem to endorse in choosing city administrators. Bringing in race as a prime factor in hiring decisions subverts a meritocratic approach based on all facets of administration that fundamentally is unfair to some individuals by accident of birth.
Ellis could renominate Overturf, or choose somebody else. The problem is if the Democrats dig in their heels and refuse to approve of anybody except any of their preferred candidates, that undercuts Ellis’ prerogative to choose someone he thinks fits his vision for department leadership and could foist a department head onto its members somebody who doesn’t match up well with them, impeding departmental performance. Regardless, this looks to be another skirmish between Ellis and a Council majority determined to impose its preferences on him.
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