Pitts makes allegations, but gives no details

LIMA - A day after a city councilman alluded to city department heads sharing civil service test questions with test takers who are family and friends, he declined to give specifics and said the comments were based on community perception.

Fifth Ward Councilman and Human Resources Committee Chairman Tommy Pitts voiced many concerns Tuesday. While talking about the need for department heads to be able to interview more than the city charter-restricted three for open civil service positions, Pitts said department heads are helping craft test questions, which is true for portions of tests germane to specific skills of jobs for which people are testing.

Pitts also implied department heads have shared questions to give friends and relatives a leg up.

"There are a lot of uncles and cousins and brothers. I know a lot of getting hired is who you know. I'm sure you're following where I'm going," Pitts said. "If I have a nephew, son, cousin and there's a position open in the city I can very easily let them know some of the questions on the test."

Mayor David Berger flatly denied the implication.

"It's not true," Berger said Wednesday. "Department heads have been invited by the Civil Service Board to submit questions and ultimately then it's up to the board whether to include any of those questions. There has never been an instance in which those questions have been improperly provided to participants, none that I've ever been informed of."

Local attorney and Ohio Ethics Commission member Ben Rose, attending the Tuesday meeting because he is also sitting on the city's Charter Review Committee, said Pitts was making a strong statement without any foundation and if he had specifics, he should be sharing them because that activity would be illegal.

Without specifics, Pitts would simply be a "rumormonger," Berger said.

Pitts said Tuesday it was community perception and didn't offer any specific case of which he was aware.

"That's how they feel. It's the people's perception, because the questions come from department heads," Pitts said.

Pitts also criticized Berger's commitment to hiring blacks, saying he had the chance to appoint two black men, Jerry Pitts as public defender and Londell Smith as parks, recreation and forestry director, and chose other candidates.

"For the past 20 years, with the state the city's been in, it's amazing to me somebody would try to make anyone think they're interested in African-Americans being employed in the city, when there was every opportunity, when the power was in his hands, outside of civil service," Pitts said.

Pitts on Wednesday said that sentiment had been expressed to him by someone within Berger's administration.

Berger said he's proud of his record on diversity in his administration.

"My record on reaching out to the black community on hiring issues is very well documented and a good record. I've had African-Americans in senior positions in my administration the entire time I have been in office," Berger said. "That doesn't mean every person who applies is someone who I appoint. I look for talent, credentials, candidates who are the best and I believe my decisions on staff has been demonstrated as a good set of decisions."

While Smith presented a good résumé and background at the time the director's slot was open, the man Berger hired, Ric Stolly, showed a broader skill set and experience, Berger said.

A decision about Jerry Pitts, a Lima attorney and Tommy Pitts' cousin, was made some years ago, Berger said.

While the mayor would not say why Jerry Pitts was not selected, court records show multiple traffic infractions from Jerry Pitts, including a driving under the influence charge in 1998.