Mayor Daniel Bianchi said he is now looking to discuss the future of Civil Service with the unions.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Some 15 months after a task force rendered a split decision on the future of continuing to use the Civil Service system, no decision has been finalized.

 

Mayor Daniel Bianchi said last week he is discussing with public safety unions the possibility of ending use of the state's system. The mayor hopes to put in a place a new system for hiring, particularly for hiring police and fire chiefs.

 

"We appreciate the work of that group. Now we are are looking at it for discussions with the patrol and supervisory unions," Bianchi said.

 

A task force was split in its decisions about whether or not the chiefs should be in the system, with the union representatives voting against it. The rest of the committee found the Civil Service system inefficient and voted that the city should look at another way to hire.

 

The mayor sided against the unions, saying the Civil Service system provides limited service and limits the number of candidates who can be hired. 

 

"There almost isn't a mechanism. If there is one, it is very limited," Bianchi said. "I think the system is tremendously flawed."

 

The city is also facing two recently filed lawsuits by police officers related to promotions and the Civil Service list.

 

The city had previously voted to eliminate Civil Service, back shortly afterward decided go back to the system. Bianchi said he's put the idea of ending usage of Civil Service to a public vote.

 

Both the police and fire chiefs have been serving in an "acting capacity" since the previous administration, sidestepping the requirement of selecting from the top three candidates on the Civil Service list. Police Chief Michael Wynn was named in an acting capacity in 2009 after leading the force for a year as "captain in charge"; Fire Chief Robert Czerwinski was appointed in 2010, replacing the retiring James Sullivan, who was acting chief for four years.

 

The chiefs have both said their relationship with staff members and ability to run their department would be improved with an appointment to the positions.

 

Bianchi, however, says the title means little. There is no such things as a "permanent" position, he said.

 

"He or she works based on their performance. This concept of a permanent position in Civil Service has no sense of reality in the rest of the world," he said.

 

But he won't name them to the positions until he can have a full hiring process. 

 

"I would feel an obligation to the taxpayer, like with any position, to have a greater pool than just one or two. For such important positions, it doesn't seem like a smart system and I don't like the idea of any community being subjected to such a poor system," Bianchi said.

 

The mayor said statewide lists of candidates in the system are limited. He has previously voiced concern with responsiveness with the state system and timeliness of acquiring the lists. 

 

Bianchi said the entire system is flawed and he hopes to craft a better way for hiring all public safety employees.