Community, Culture, and Economic Development, Second Edition: Continuity and Change in Two Small Southern Towns

Appendix: Somerset County Task Force on Diversity

133 Appendix Somerset County Task Force on Diversity Final Recommendations A. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRUCTURAL REFORMS 1. Establish a policy recognizing the value of diversity in government and commit to make good faith efforts to achieve diversity. 2. Create an Independent EEO Oversight Committee—composed of a cross-section of the community—to oversee implementation of diversity efforts, using the Task Force Vision Statement as a guiding document. Duties of the committee to include: a. Monitor progress to ensure that progress continues and goals are met; b. Work with EEO officer on recruitment and hiring efforts; c. Work with county officials on improvements to the hiring process, through review of records application and interview records, and review of all appointments made; d. Monitor establishment and implementation of conflict of interest/ethics policy, specifically including review for nepotism in hiring decisions; and e. Give recognition to successful efforts to further diversity. 3. Hire or have access to an Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) officer to oversee county diversity and fair practices efforts. Provide specialized EEO training to this officer. 4. Institute a Mandatory Diversity Training Program for all employees, including county officials, and invite other interested members of the community to attend the diversity training as well; 134 / Appendix 5. Explore the possibilities for electoral reform to make the county election system fairer, more balanced, and inclusive. First step: Seek advice from the Maryland attorney general about the possibility of excluding the nonvoting Eastern Correctional Institution prison population from the redistricting process during the next round of districting following the 2010 U.S. Census. B. RECOMMENDATIONS ON HIRING PRACTICES 1. Involve EEO Oversight Committee and EEO officer in hiring process; 2. Create a transparent and uniform hiring process: • Document all applications received; • Standardize job descriptions and qualifications, as appropriate to the position; • Evaluate all applications against written job requirements; • If a candidate is hired who does not meet the job qualifications, document the reason; • Document reasoning for rejection of applicants; 3. Create a bank of qualified applicants, to be retained on file for six months to one year, so that if new openings occur, these applicants could be invited to reapply; 4. Establish an aggressive recruitment process to draw a diverse applicant pool: • Involve churches and other community groups in “getting the word out” about job openings and positions in county government; • Educate families to encourage their children to consider job opportunities in Somerset County when they finish school; • Advertise job openings internally and externally simultaneously : ALL position openings should be publicly announced and advertised; • Actively recruit African Americans and other racial minorities; • Partner with local colleges and universities to: —Recruit there; —Set up internship programs for students; —Create incentives for students to work for the county; —Market Somerset jobs to students by highlighting the advantages of living and working in Somerset County; Appendix / 135 • Advertise through diverse media, including internet advertising; • Advertise for a minimum of two weeks for every position, and re-advertise if initial pool of applicants lacks diversity; • Require disclosure of familial relationships to county employees and officials; 5. Maintain an open and fair interview process • Employ diverse interview panels wherever possible, making efforts to include minority members before resorting to use of all white interview panels; • Standardize and record questions asked of interviewees, making these materials available to oversight committee for subsequent review. ...