The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-05-18
Merit System Head Strikes At RoluIand
 Page
Continued from Page D

shit one.
 A classification plan was adopted, giving the title of each position, the
 duties, and the required qualifica-
 tions. Next an application form
 was printed and applicants were required to name the positions they applied for and to give their educa-
 tion and experience. So far, so good; it looked ike a real merit system. But there was no civil service commission, no personnel director, and no examination plan.
 Applicants were rated roughly on the basis of education and experi- ence and the comptroller was the sole judge in the matter.
 This is not intended to be a crit
 icism of the comptroller. He was not compelled to abide by any merit system law, as there Is none in Wa terbury. There was no personnel director to give tests. There were no civil service rules or regulations.
 By a recent court decision, the com
 troller was given the right to hire and fire the employees in his office, but there remains some question about the power to fix salaries. No
 tenure of office could be promised. The next comptroller can dismiss all those now employed by the pres ent comptroller. With these two uncertainties in the picture, the tendency was to discourage capable people now employed from applying for a job that they were not sure would last beyond December 3l, 1939, and that carried an uncertain salary.
 Of the ten employees of the former comptroller, five were dismissed, one resigned, one was definitely reap pointed. and the other three are still in the office but not, as far as can be learned, on any permanent basis. or the six new appointments, the one of most importance was that of purchases coordinator (purchas- ing agenD. There are well-founded rumors that a number of prominent Republican party workers wanted this plum, but in spite of political pressure the appointment went to Charles c. Foster, man with con- siderable purchasing experience with large industrial concerns, who hap pened to be unemployed at the mo- ment and who is not generally regarded as active in political cir cles. The other important position, that of chief accountant, went to James P. Purcell who served many years under the former comptroller. His ability to perform his duties IS quite generally acknowledged, and it is presumed that he was out of sympathy with the lax and irregular practices that went on under the old regime. The fact that he was a Democratic appointee and has re- ceived reappointment from a Re- publican comptroller indicates a def mite independence of the spells system.
 Among the other five appoint ments, political influence was more or less in evidence. For example, the assistant purchases coordinator is a Republican alderman and party worker. It appears that when ap- plicantS for given job had approx the same ability and eX- perience, preference was given those with the right" political complex ion. This is not the merit system as we advocate it, although it relates very closely to a practical merit sys- tenn problem. When a merit system law gives the appointing authority the choice of the three highest on an eligible list, claims have been both made and denied that politics entered into the final choice. That is why there are some ardent ad- vocates for a provision giving the authority no choice and him to the highest on the list.
 A matter of great interest to the merit system has been brought up in this case. The state personnel has no authority under the law to assist municipalities in any way, but there is nothing to pre- vent any municipal official or other person from looking over the state eligible lists and obtaining the names and ratings of those who have passed the state requirements. A member of our association did this and submitted to MT. Rowland a list of the residents of Waterbury who had passed the state examina- tions for various classes of clerical positions and urged that he make his appointments from this list. Un- this idea did not occur soon enough to be of much effect and only two or three people on the state eligible lists had voluntarily entered applications for Waterbury positions. However, of the four to clerical positions, one was Waterbury girl who had passed the state examinations.
 I 5 thought of making appoint ments to municipal positions from people on the state eligible lists should receive widespread consider ation. Any person appointed in this would remain on the state list and would be offered state po- sition ill due course when his turn came. No law is necessary to authorize the procedure, but a law would be necessary to enforce it. The object would be to save local governments the costs and delays incident to making up their own eligible lists, and minimize both po- litical influence and provisional appointments.