Mayor’s hire questionable

Regarding “Fire department hire faces challenge” (May 16): Mayor David Condon, via a semantics ploy, sought to bypass the city charter to create more positions exempt from civil service within the police and fire departments. City voters adopted a city charter that allowed the mayor to appoint the “department” head and assistant without regard to civil service merit requirements.

Regular employees are hired and promoted within the merit system known as civil service. The system was widely adopted across the country as an effort to eliminate the political spoils system that often resulted in municipal corruption.

Recently, a Spokane County Superior Court judge ruled the mayor’s actions illegal as applied to the fire department, yet the mayor insists on pursuing a course ruled illegal under the city charter and state law. A primary illegality cannot be grandfathered.

As noted in the plaintiff’s brief in support of summary judgment, the result of the mayor’s ploy is that he could create many sub-departments within police or fire “divisions” in which to plant cronies. The net effect of the mayor’s action is to disenfranchise Spokane voters.

Robert Allen

Chattaroy