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‘We are going to court’
09/29/2007, 8:50 am
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Scot Squires, 1-866-362-2167 Ext. 13869, ssquires@heraldargus.com


MICHIGAN CITY -- Upset that Michigan City leaders aren’t doing more to hire blacks for positions at the fire department, the NAACP La Porte County Chapter may take the issue to court.

Of the current 81 firefighters and administrators, six are black, two are Hispanic and none except two secretaries are women.

On the other hand, the makeup of Michigan City is much different.

Minorities make up about 25 percent of the city’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Blacks make up the largest part of that, at nearly 20 percent. Women account for some 50 percent of the residents.

It’s that disparity that has the NAACP upset.

“It is a good old boys’ club. They’ve got a little net group and that’s what they want,” said NAACP member Wesley Scully II.

“The NAACP’s No. 1 objective is to be treated fairly. We feel that is not happening,” said Scully, who leads the group’s efforts to help minorities find jobs.

During the 1970s, a group of black firefighters went to court because they believed not enough blacks were being hired and promoted. Out of that case came a consent decree that ordered the department to hire more blacks.

There has been some disagreement on whether the consent decree still applies. To settle the issue, the NAACP wants to reopen the case and have a judge decide.

“We are going to court,” Scully told The La Porte County Herald-Argus Thursday evening. “It is already put into action. Our main concern is to get them in court.”

One of the people hired as a direct result of the legal challenge in the 1970s was Willie Milsap, who is now a battalion chief with the department and president of the city council.

“This subject is close to home because I’m a product of it,” said Milsap, also a member of the NAACP. “There are not enough minorities to represent the (makeup of) the city,” Milsap said. “As a taxpayer, I’m looking at fairness and what is right — period. Color, political status has nothing to do with it.”

Milsap said the city council is going to work with the administration to bring some closure to the subject. Members of the Fire Merit Commission, which oversees hiring and personnel issues, said they are simply following the city’s policies.

“I think people have to remember we made suggestions, but it was the city council that passed an entirely new ordinance on the hiring,” said Bart Lombard, a member of the Fire Merit Commission. “We have to follow whatever they pass.

“As for the hiring, for the last four years, there hasn’t been any hiring. This is the first year we’ve done any hiring.”

Although four firefighters have been hired recently, none are black or female.

Hiring is based on a point system, with extra points given to Michigan City residents and those who served in the military during a conflict. The person with the most points is the one hired. The testing consists of a written exam, agility test and interview with merit commissioners.

Fire Merit Commission President John Skierkowski said he believes a point system keeps the hiring process fair.

“We’ve worked hard to put in a fair system,” Skierkowski said. “We don’t discriminate against anyone. Everyone has the same equal chance. The process is not a discriminatory process. I’m 100 percent convinced of that.”
Still, Skierkowski would like to get a legal opinion on the consent decree.

“We’ve been seeking information on the consent decree as to the validity of if it is still in effect,” Skierkowski said. "Our hands are tied. The direction we’ve been given is minimal. We are just following the ordinance of the city council.”

Michael Rivera, president of the local NAACP, said the city needs to find alternatives to the point system.

“It is not working,” Rivera said. “The city needs to make the hiring reflect the demographics.”

But with a possible court challenge, Rivera says something might change.

“I know no one wants to deal with it,” he said. “But I believe it is coming to a head now.”

The last black firefighter was hired in 1994. Before that it was 1991, according to Rivera. Since that time, 26 white men have been hired, he said.

Michigan City Fire Chief Dave Lamb says he has no control over who is hired. That decision, he says, rests with the Fire Merit Commission and city ordinances that outline the process.

“We’d love to have women and more minorities on the fire department. It should reflect the diversity of the city,” said Lamb, who added he believes the firefighters should also live within city limits.