https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Administration


Under fire

Under fire

New Haven official says discrimination law gave the city little choice.
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st August 2009

It was a case made famous by the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Supreme Court: 18 New Haven, Conn., firefighters sued the city for reverse discrimination after the civil service board failed to certify a promotions test because almost no minority firefighters who took the test passed. Sotomayor, as a member of a three-judge Second Circuit Court of Appeals panel, ruled in favor of the city, but, in late June, the Supreme Court reversed that decision.

American City & County spoke with New Haven Corporation Counsel Victor Bolden about the Supreme Court decision and the city’s position that the law at the time would have left it open to a lawsuit had it accepted the test results.

Q: What is the city’s opinion on the Supreme Court’s ruling, particularly the decision that fear of a lawsuit was not justification enough for not certifying the test?

A: Obviously, the city is disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision, particularly where you have a decision that says, ‘Oh, you shouldn’t have been worried about the fear of a lawsuit.’ There was nothing in place at the time legally that suggested the city would not have been sued, and that would have been a difficult lawsuit for the city to defend. Obviously, the Supreme Court can say not to worry about it, but that’s an after-the-fact determination that doesn’t help someone who’s in the midst of a difficult situation figure out how to move forward.

Q: What is the city doing to move forward?

A: Going forward, we’re obviously going to take a look at what we need to do to think about our testing procedures and processes to ensure that we have both the most talented, most effective and, certainly, a diverse fire department.

Q: Has this case affected morale at the fire department? Has there been a rift over this?

A: I think the significant thing is that, and I think the mayor spoke to this on the day the Supreme Court announced its decision, is that, regardless of the litigation that’s going on, fire safety in New Haven has not been affected. We have no reason to believe that everyone’s not doing their job and doing it to the best of their ability.

Tags: Administration Public Safety

Related


  • Making cities safer means making security simpler
    When it comes to managing multiple security systems within a city, a good rule of thumb is simpler equals safer. This happens by moving away from inefficient, siloed technology systems that require constant monitoring and input, to information-based systems that proactively manage the increasing amount of data flowing into a centralized control room. The era […]
  • A video surveillance camera and sign warning about CCTV being in operation
    All activities monitored: The 10 most surveilled major cities in the U.S.
    Public close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, or public video surveillance camera, hold multiple benefits for cities. They can help reduce crimes around public areas, buildings and roads, and with the increasing deployment of smart sensors and 5G, these cameras will be able to utilize the Internet of Things (IoT) to accomplish much more in the future. […]
  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: El Paso County, Texas’ pretrial justice modernization
    Since 2015, El Paso County, Texas, has undertaken a massive modernization of its pretrial justice programs. This overhaul consists of eight reforms, each of which targets a different part of the pretrial justice system. Not only are the reforms diverse; each one has had a quantifiable impact on El Paso County’s justice system. The county […]
  • Revenue and zoning evolution prepares Seattle for an autonomous vehicle future
    Although autonomous vehicles (AVs) are not fully ready for deployment, history provides strong incentive to begin planning for its implementation now. In the early 20th century, the growth of the automobile erupted faster than regulators could have imagined with far-reaching consequences. Although cars eventually helped fulfill promises of economic growth, middle-class jobs, and on-demand mobility, […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Rethinking worker’s compensation with alternative dispute resolution
  • Texas AG sues capital city, county over enforcing mask mandate
  • 2020 Crown Communities winner: Harris County, Texas, Precinct 2's ACCESS2HEALTH SmartPod
  • Municipal commitments to renewable energy drive prosperity

White papers


How-to Tips to Prepare for Your Summer Construction Projects

5th April 2021

How to Procure an eProcurement System that Generates More Value from Your Budget

1st April 2021

The Technology Solutions Vital to Clerk Productivity in Our Post-Pandemic Communities

18th March 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The Community Game Changer: Library Outsourcing dlvr.it/RxLd6r

9th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Cooperative contracts can be an entryway for small and diverse companies to successfully compete for government sal… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

9th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Electric slide: Mayors form collaborative organization to purchase electric vehicles for cities dlvr.it/RxGsHY

8th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Celebrating the unsung heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic: Procurement professionals dlvr.it/RxGsG2

8th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Expanding opportunities: Nebraska’s bold procurement Concierge Program dlvr.it/RxGpyr

8th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

All activities monitored: The 10 most surveilled major cities in the U.S. dlvr.it/RxCKzy

7th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Denver anticipates autonomous vehicles with cross-agency, cross-sector collaborative planning dlvr.it/RxC1dP

7th April 2021
AmerCityCounty

Revenue and zoning evolution prepares Seattle for an autonomous vehicle future dlvr.it/RxBzyC

7th April 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X