A city councilman and some organizations in New York City “are pushing for legislation that they believe will expand diversity in the Fire Department’s employment pool.”
The legislation would allow any candidate applying to become a New York City firefighter who has a high school diploma or GED from a city high school or testing center to receive an additional eight-point credit on the firefighter exam.
The communications director of the Department of Citywide Administrative Services believes the proposal would not be legal. “The state constitution requires candidates be chosen by fitness and merit,” he explained. “Just graduating from a New York City high school is not enough,” although there are already some exceptions.
DCAS already offers point credits for a number of other special circumstances. Veterans receive five points and disabled veterans get 10. New York City residents receive an additional five points. Parents of a NYC police officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty receive 10 points as do the siblings of police officers or firefighters who died on Sept. 11. But all are either allowed by the state constitution or state law unlike the new proposed credit.
I find the arguments for and against the proposal quite interesting.
According to City Councilman Leroy Comrie,
Minorities account for less than 11 percent of city firefighters — making it the least diverse Fire Department of any major U.S. city and less than 40 percent of eligible FDNY applicants are African American….
“This bill is a legitimate, practical and common sense solution to addressing diversity issues in the FDNY,” he said during a press conference with other officials at City Hall on Tuesday.
And then there’s the unique (I think) and fascinating “diversity-once-removed” argument of City Councilman Tom White Jr. “When a person attends a New York City school,” he said, “they are exposed to diversity and other cultures and that’s a plus that they can bring to the job.”
I wonder if any colleges have given “diversity” bonus points to applicants who are not themselves “diverse” but come from “diverse” schools. (Of course, to do that they would have to believe in actual diversity, not “diversity” as universally practiced.)
And on the other side:
Adjoa Gzifa, the chairwoman of Community Board 12 says she is leery of laws that mandate diversity and believes the proposed credit will have legal consequences.
“If you take the test and you pass, you pass,” she said. It shouldn’t matter where you live or what your ethnic background is. They are just going to end up spending taxpayer money fighting lawsuits.”
….
City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R- Ozone Park) also opposes the bill. “I see it as affirmative action rearing its head in the hiring process of the FDNY,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair. If they want it to be all inclusive why don’t they have it apply to graduates of city Catholic schools and Yeshivas as well.”
Good question. Obvious answer: fewer graduates of Catholic schools and Yeshivas are “diverse.”
