"Powerless vestige"

The Lens will live-blog today's meeting of the Civil Service Commission as they take up the mayor's proposed "reform" to the city's personnel management system.

The proposals would give departmental managers — political appointees who serve at the pleasure of the mayor — greater discretion in hiring decisions by reducing the importance of examination scores and eliminating the requirement that laid-off employees be considered first.

Landrieu’s proposals would eliminate the employee evaluation system, replacing it with a “performance management system.” Unlike the current job ratings, those measurements could not be appealed.

Yesterday PANO President Mike Glasser spoke about the proposed changes with the press.

Glasser said PANO agrees with only one aspect of the initiative, which would raise the minimum wage for city employees to $10.10. He said any effort to weaken the civil service system would eliminate the commission's merit-based purpose.

"It was designed to eliminate nepotism, it was designed to eliminate patronage, favoritism, bias by setting firm, plausible attainable goals and minimum criteria," said Glasser.

Glasser said the Civil Service Commission will become a "powerless vestige" if the city's plan is passed.