CHESAPEAKE
Nearly a third of its population is African American, but Chesapeake has lagged some other South Hampton Roads cities in hiring blacks for top city jobs.
On Monday, City Manager William Harrell helped bridge that gap by naming Maj. Kelvin Wright the city’s first black police chief. Harrell called it a “historic day” that sends an “important statement to the community.”
“It speaks to the open-mindedness and diversity of this community,” he said.
Wright, a 26-year veteran of the department, is the fourth minority group member named to a top position since Harrell started in June. Since then, the number of minority department heads has increased to six of 17 positions from three.
In February, city officials reiterated to the Chesapeake City Council that they are committed to following a fair share statement of cooperation with the NAACP, which includes a goal of hiring minorities at all levels of employment and in senior management positions.
Harrell said he did not hire Wright or any of his other top administrators simply because they were minorities, and he pointed out that he promoted a white female to deputy city manager, the highest-ranking position he’s filled.
“It’s not an issue of showing preference at all,” he said. “I hire the best people, and it just so happens that some of them are minorities.”
Norfolk, Suffolk and Portsmouth hired their first black police chiefs in the 1990s, and the chiefs in all of those cities are now black. Each of those localities’ city managers is black , as well.
In Portsmouth, seven of the city’s 21 department heads appointed by the city manager are black. In Norfolk, six black department heads report to the city manager. Virginia Beach has four black department heads.
In selecting a chief, Harrell said he picked Wright out of 46 applicants because of his educational background, vision for the department and willingness to reach out to the community. Wright beat out four other internal candidates, including Deputy Chief Louis J. Tayon Jr., who said he was a finalist.
At the same time, the city manager is counting on Wright to build the relationship between the department and minority communities. Some civic leaders in the South Norfolk neighborhood say they are also hoping Wright will help bring more officers to areas with crime problems.
Wright said the fact that he is the Chesapeake’s first black chief has “some significance.”
“There is a portion of our community that has looked forward to this day,” he said.
But “when it comes to crime, does the community really care what color I am?” he said. “They want to make sure the services are there when they call.”
Harrell said Wright is part of a world-class team he is assembling. Since he started as city manager in June, he has had to fill some key positions .
He has hired black or minority candidates to fill several of them, including appointing Steven Wright as the city’s economic development director, Peter Wallace as the city’s first chief information officer and Angelia Yancey as the budget director. Some of those positions were previously filled by blacks or women.
He also promoted Budget Director Betty J. Meyer, who is white, to deputy city manager. In addition, he appointed Jim Liles, who is white, to be the city’s first housing program coordinator.
Councilwoman Ella Ward applauded Harrell for his hires so far. She said that in some cases over the years, she thinks some good minority candidates were overlooked.
“He has recognized that there is a pool of talent out there just waiting to be tapped,” Ward said.
Over the years, the city has occasionally been accused of discrimination. In 2004, the
U.S. Department of Justice investigated whether the city’s police and fire departments discriminated against black employees and job seekers. L ast year, the city settled a racial discrimination lawsuit from the Department of Justice that accused police of using a math test that unfairly disqualified black and Hispanic officer applicants.
March Cromuel Jr., former president of the Chesapeake chapter of the NAACP, said Chesapeake historically has not hired a lot of blacks for top spots.
“There were many African Americans working in the city, but they were working in lower-paid positions,” Cromuel said. “When you look out over the city, at how many department heads are African American, you don’t have that many. In the school system, you don’t have that many.”
In 2006- 07, city statistics show that 36 percent of full-time employees reporting to the city manager were minorities and 33 percent were African American.
Seventeen percent of top city officials, department heads and administrators were minorities, statistics show. Five percent were African American. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 30 percent of the city’s population in 2006 was black.
Despite the city manager’s recent hires, blacks continue to be underrepresented, Cromuel said.
“There is a long ways the city needs to go before we can say there is total fairness in city government,” he said.
Staff writers Kristin Davis, Dave Forster, Harry Minium, Jen McCaffery and Richard Quinn contributed to this report.
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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steveva
My user name is a reflection of my heritage and has absolutely nothing to do with you or your people. Get over yourself....everything is not about you. I would have made my user name ZuluAfricanAmericanRetiredNavy but there wasn't enough space. Given the freedoms we are all entitled to and that I spent 22 years of my life serving to protect, you can make your user name what ever you want it to be and you know what? My mortgage will still get paid by me!
whatever
Dear Readers,
This message has been deemed "safe" for all audiences by the Pilot Editorial Staff because it contains no contraversial dialogue or conflicts with the opinions of our staff.
Your friends at the Pilot.
lastly....
Lastly, prop him up? Please believe that I will “prop” him up and every other good black man and woman every chance I get because there are always people who try and tear us down every chance they get. And not to worry, I’m sure any little misstep he makes will be pointed out by the Pilot’s board ‘experts’ who think they know everything about everything but actually know nothing.
got2win1: First off I am a woman. Second, I am very well aware of the amount of writing and reading that are required for advanced degrees as I have 2 and a Masters Certificate as well, so what is your point? You question my credentials as if it is impossible. It's not my fault that you are not at that level. One typo is not a reflection of my intelligence or my mastery of the English language. I'll be sure next time to recheck what I wrote so that the spell check police won't get me!
race card is trumped by performance
We know that there are 'good ol boy' networks firmly in place EVERYWHERE. So neptism and racism will always be a factor. Hire intelligent, professional people, eliminate the dead weight, and treat everyone as an asset... sound like good business to me.
Success is something you earn. Not something that is given out as a gift.
If individuals are handed positions based on their race or for public relations then the negative outcome or their ineptitude is inevitable. Unfortunately the system will not always self-correct itself.
Why boast multiple degrees?
Claiming to have multiple degrees, whether true or not, does not make one credible. Based on the many errors in spelling and grammar in Zulu's post, it is obvious that none of Zulu's degrees are in English. Degrees beyond the bachelors level require a great deal of research and writing. It does not appear as though Zulu has had much practice writing, therefore I do not believe his claim of multiple graduate degrees; nor do I find his other claims to be credible. Everybody needs to quit arguing over race. Live and let live. If you have a racial axe to grind, grind it privately. Otherwise, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. Diversity is an important component within our community. I am a white man and I have absolutely no problem with having qualified black men and women in leadership roles in our community. We should embrace one another and work together to achieve the common goals that benefit all of us.
charlesm
What was cut off in my last post was: I know white people with less education and experience who get jobs based on them being white.
Now, where in my post did I say that education implied wisdom? If you notice after each instance that I mentioned education the word experience followed. 25+ years of experience in any given field would imply some level of competence. I am sure there were others who applied for the position who had the requisite education and experience who happened to be white, but they were not chosen for whatever reason. I think even more glaring than the fact that the man chosen for the position was black is the fact that he was ALREADY working in the department. It would hardly seem fair to overlook him for the opportunity given his 25+ years of experience and education.
ZULU AFRICAN
ZULUAFRICAN, You’re the poster child of what’s wrong with race relations in this country. You use an obvious race based name like ZULUAFRICAN and have the nerve to preach to us spouting off “you people.” Because of this no one takes you serious and you basically reinforce what “we people” already know—Thanks. Perhaps I should go by the name ARIAN-GERMAN.
I hope he does well....
....just to show that he was the best candidate and not hired for the position because of the color of his skin. Look at the Portsmouth PD and the debacle going on with that chief. He was given a vote of no confidence by the Portsmouth FOP Gosport Lodge #20. That speaks volumes about his job performance by those working in the trenches on a daily basis. I know for a fact he WAS NOT the best, most qualified candidate for that post but somehow was hired for the position. Just another shining example of inept leadership by the powers that be in Portsmouth!
I Must Be Missing Something.
The City Manager said he is the best one for the job. From what I read the other day, his credentials are impeccable. Who cares what color he he is?
To zuluafrican
Education does not imply wisdom or competence. You keep trying to pump the same old dry discrimination well. Its not that this man got the job. It appears that he is well qualified. It's the way it is written up in the newspaper, like, 'hey, we won another round, ha,ha,ha'. If he's got what it takes, or not, we will soon know. That's the bottom line. If he's good, his ethnicity won't matter and he won't need you to prop him up.
What Matters
I agree with these posts. The newspaper talks out of both sides of its mouth. It both promotes and denigrates racial discrimination and then cries out about when are we going to stop this. The idea, in all cases, is hiring the best qualifies person for the job. If they are the best person for the job and they do a good job, their ethnicity does not matter and does not have to be broadcast in the manner of 'we won another round, ha,ha,ha'. When will we ever learn?
Shameful
This is shameful. Some, if not all, of the appointees in those spots may have been the best qualified. Now regardless of skill this seems to be a "hand out" and it does a great disservice to the appointees themselves. If diversity proponents speak of equality then be equal don't tout it just as you would not tout that white people filled the spot. And speaking of diversity the appointees don't seem diverse. Also what about the other 3 black appointees that were not mentioned in this article? Shouldn't the city managers appointments be roughly in line with the city's demographics? I don't think that all these appointments represent the makeup of our city. And the fact that anyone believes you should make an "attempt" to diversify should Be insulting to blacks. Its patronising. They should Be confident they can get a job on their merits instead of their diversity. Are you now obligated to hire a white since this has come out? What if a black is better qualified now the pendulum swings the other way. Shameful we cant move past this Mr city manager shameful.
Interesting in Chesapeake
Affirmative Action at its best, I suppose. I have no issue with skin color when it comes to hiring people, but the quals need to be there. I think it's safe to say that if this new guy doesn't get the job done, the residents of Chesapeake will let him know the hard way...
Regardless...
Regardless of this mans color is the fact that he is not only educated but also has over 25+ years of experience in the field. What do you people want? I know plenty of white people in very high positions without even a 1/4 of the education or experience this man has and are in higher positions. The journey of a black person is that of HAVING to be ten times better that that of their counterparts regardless of the education or experience and many times they still make less for the same positions.
I am trying to understand why you people keep getting your panties in a knot over 1 black man getting a high paying job? Even if it was 2,3 or even 4 black men getting a higher paying job than you, it's not the end of the world! Whites will always make more money, there will will ALWAYS BE more whites than blacks by the numbers and if you are so damned qualified and educated why didn't you apply for the position? From what I read in a previous article he beat out 45 other applicants white and black (and probably in-between).
FYI: I am a person that holds MULTIPLE degrees BEYOND the Bachelors level. Wnile I do very well for myself I am sure there are plenty of whites with WAY less educa
Come On Now
The city staff should not be analyzing how many of what color their employees are. They should be working on matters that effect the city of which they have been lacking lately. You need educated people to run the city. Race is not the issue - intelligence is and whatever person of whatever color is running the city - they will be found to be either intelligent or stupid and the people they hire will also be found to be one or the other. Hire friends or hire some one due to color and it will come back to bite you in the office of which you hold.
Cheasapeake Minority Hiring
It is considered "diverse" when the city manager hired more blacks and one woman to his city. What actually is the proper definition of diversity when you hired six blacks and one woman into your administration when in fact the city has more faces of different colors? Qualifications? yes, it is important, however, how can the city manager justify that the "other" applicant is qualified if not given the chance? I have seen and worked with so called qualified "hired" only to be outdo by another who was passed over. Simple....politically and socially "networking."
hello
The word leadership inheriently infers the most qualified individual. How has the word diversity become aligned with leadership? Diversity for it's own sake is pure political correctness and nonsense.
It speaks for itself.
The fact that the situation warranted a large, bold-faced headlined article splashed across the front page of the Hampton Roads section, complete with statistical comparisons, speaks for itself.
more statistics
The article noted some good statistics but missed some important info:
"Norfolk, Suffolk and Portsmouth hired their first black police chiefs in the 1990s, and the chiefs in all of those cities are now black."
- The per capita violent crime rates are also higher in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Portsmouth. I hope this does not happen in Chesapeake, only time will tell.
“There were many African Americans working in the city, but they were working in lower-paid positions,” Cromuel said. “When you look out over the city, at how many department heads are African American, you don’t have that many. In the school system, you don’t have that many.”
- In MOST cases, the people with the higher education are in higher paid positions and people with a lower education are in lower paid positions. The Virginia and Chesapeake high school graduation rate for whites is higher than the graduation rates for blacks.
End This Type of Racial Discrimination
Hiring the first black man to this key city position is all fine and dandy if he was hired based strictly on his abilities and not in part due to the color of his skin. But I highly suspect race was a factor for his hiring and that is wrong and discriminatory. What about the more qualified applicants denied opportunity because they were white? How would you like to be in their shoes? What about the rights of theses individuals? It's just like denying someone from a bar based on race, but much, much worse since it involves careers.
Who decided this is the way it is? I know it wasn’t a goal of the vast majority of our forefathers who sacrificed from the Pacific to the fields of Europe only to have their legacy denied opportunity based on their race even if they were the best qualified!
Where’s the Department of Justice and ACLU on this one? They’re more concerned with bar hoppers than real injustices I guess.
If we let these type racist methods of preference continue, then we're selling out our children’s futures—hope you all sleep well...
Yeah, That's the ticket.
After all that has happened in the last 100 years I find it embarrasing that people ( supposed to be the smartest animal on the planet ) still hate because of color. It exists among all races. I think that we should all be rolled into the interview room in a 55 gallon drum all painted the same color. Afterwards the job interviewer will pick the drum he likes best. Open up the top and (Ta Da)out pops his new employee.
See how silly that sounds.
Racist
A RACIST article about a racist procedure. Anytime a persons color, race, ethnicity etc etc is taken into consideration for any decision then it is a RACIAL based decision and therefore illegal.
I am sorry that many in this country feel it is ok to discriminate against anyone who looks in any way caucasion (whatever that is) but it is also RACIST and thus wrong.
I am not a Caucasion what ever that. I am a proud American who attaches nothing ahead or after "American".
Mis-placed Priorities
Did you happen to have any statistics as to whether or not there were any French Hens, Turtle Doves or Pear Tree Partridges on the payroll? I also find it very discriminatory that simple issues such as possible vehicle crashes might prevent seeing-eye-dogs from driving municipal vehicles due to their lack of opposing fingers. We must design a program that will provide equal accomodation under the law for prosthetic hands for seeing-eye-dogs to do their jobs. Also, I think it is our Consitutional Right to get free entitlements for those of us that wear red underwear on Wednesdays. Bottom line is: I don't care if an employee is a space-alien with AIDS...the important function they SHOULD serve is to keep other people's crusades out of my wallet and banish annoyone who attempts to threaten the behalf of my property and well-being of my and my family. That is the only significance of any employee's personal characteristics. Any attempt to surgically prioritize or accomodate any PARTICULAR personal demographic is overtly racist and bigotted; no matter why the intent; and no matter how sanctioned by any governing body. Find something else to do.
Best Candidate should be ONLY consideration
Race should never be brought into it, but its considered ok if its used to keep the radicals happy!