Aurora Fire Fighters Rally to Defeat Ballot Measure

September 15, 2006 – IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger joined Aurora, CO Local 1290 and more than 200 Colorado fire fighters for a September 15 rally to fight ballot initiatives that would take hiring authority for fire and police in Aurora away from the Civil Service Commission and give it to the city’s fire and police chiefs, thereby eliminating many of the checks and balances currently in place that prevent abuse and inefficiency in hiring practices.

“I take great offense as a proud citizen of this country when I see those with the power and the ability to spend taxpayers’ money treat their employees with disrespect – especially those who risk their lives for their communities, like the fire fighters and police officers gathered here today,” said General President Schaitberger, speaking at the rally to help get the message to members of the Aurora community about what city officials are trying to get unknowing voters to approve in November. 

The police chief, fire chief, deputy city manager of public safety and a city council member have proposed four ballot issues as a way to expand diversity among fire and police ranks. According to Local 1290 President Randy Rester, the chiefs and city manager are hiding behind diversity to take more control.

“These ballot initiatives are a clear power play that would give the chiefs the power to promote and hire almost at will,” says Rester, who adds that the chief and city manager use bullying tactics and threats to run the department. “The fact is, few non-whites apply in Aurora because the city fails to recruit.”

In addition to taking hiring power and responsibility out of the Civil Service and giving it the chiefs, the proposed initiatives take police captains out of the Civil Service and make them management under the complete control of the chiefs, change the terms of the Civil Service commissioners and give power over hiring and removing commissioners to the City Council and change the probationary period for promotions from six months to one year.

“These four ballot initiatives will make draconian changes to this city’s Civil Service system,” said Schaitberger. “City bureaucrats should be ashamed of themselves for using diversity as a shield to hide behind on these issues. If they were really concerned about increasing diversity, they would actually work to recruit minorities and women into this city’s public safety departments.” He added,” You sure as hell don’t accomplish diversity by giving unilateral control of hiring and promotions to a few power-hungry chiefs.”  

Aurora Local 1290 has approved spending up to $300,000 of its own money to campaign to defeat these measures, and the Aurora police union has made a similar commitment. The campaign will encourage the city’s voters to oppose the initiatives.  

The Civil Service system began as a reform movement in reaction to abuses of the spoils system – the nation’s system for public personnel administration in the early and mid-1800s. This system became indefensible as the rapid rotation of unqualified individuals led to rampant corruption and inefficiency. The Civil Service was put into place to regulate and improve the civil service in the United States. 

Citing a need to increase flexibility in hiring and firing, and to more closely resemble private-sector personnel systems, many jurisdictions are attempting to weaken or even eliminate civil service rules.