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home / Government
What happens in City Hall stays in City Hall
Julia Romero-Gusse
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Since I first arrived in Maricopa, the case has been corruption, rumors, innuendos, discrimination, manipulation; these are all common practices that happen and stay within the walls of City Hall.
As of July 1st, I am no longer an employee of the City of Maricopa and therefore can shed light on some of the transactions that occurred and that I experienced firsthand while at City Hall. I was hired by the City of Maricopa in January of 2008 by Ms. Amy Haberbosch, the Planning Director at the time. This was also before the new City Manager arrived and only one month before Ms. Haberbosch was terminated. I knew no one at City Hall and had no “connections” when I was hired. I did not buy into the rumors and all the allegations about the City’s past administration since I was a new employee with a clean slate -- and what I thought would be a bright future with a City that I have grown to love and call home.
In November of 2008, I applied for an internal job posting for the City of Maricopa Alarm Coordinator position. As a qualified applicant, I submitted my application and requested Veteran Preference. I am a disabled veteran who served with the United States Air Force and was last stationed at Fort George Meade, MD. I received various commendation medals and recognition for my service at the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States of America. I assumed my services and qualifications while at NSA made me a qualified applicant for the Alarm Coordinator position. I also hold a Bachelor degree from California State University, Los Angeles and have a 3.7 GPA in my graduate work with ASU and the U of A.
When I interviewed for the position I sat outside the interview room at the Police Department’s bungalow. I overheard the entire interview of the only other applicant and was concerned with the interview process. The day after the interview, the City held a health fair and all City employees were invited to attend. At this fair, I overheard a City Councilman and a Police Sergeant congratulate the other applicant on being selected for the position. I was very upset at the fact that I was not informed of this and, of course, upset that I was not selected for the position.
I approached the Human Resource Director with my concerns later that same day of the health fair. The following day, the Director informed me that the other applicant was indeed selected for the position and she apologized for not informing me of this appointment and expressed that the selection announcement was handled inappropriately.
I requested an explanation as to why the other applicant was selected for the position since she had no formal education (only a high school diploma) and I was to have veteran preference. I was given copies of the interview criteria that the interview committee used to select the other applicant. After reviewing this information, it was obvious that the other applicant was selected for reasons other than experience and education. I concluded that the only reason the other applicant was selected and I was not had everything to do with my race (Mexican-American) and not my qualifications.
I then approached the HR Director with a racial discrimination complaint. The HR Director requested that I sit down with the Police Sergeant (the now-Chief of Police for the City of Maricopa) who headed the interview and discuss my complaint. I informed the Director and Sergeant that it was obvious that I was a token interviewee and that I did not wish to waste their time as I had wasted my time with the entire interview process and refused to meet with the Sergeant.
The Alarm Coordinator position was advertised for a salary range of $41,613 – $48,956, yet the individual was hired with a salary of $51,874.94. This is the salary that the City Council approved for an individual with no college degree and little to no experience for this position. This individual’s previous position was never re-opened. I spoke to a few individuals at City Hall and was informed that the individual selected for the position is a close friend of some Council members, married to the ex-president of the Maricopa Chamber of Commerce, close friends with a few police sergeants, and petitioned to have this position created. I then knew that there was no fighting City Hall and that nepotism trumped my qualifications.
At that time, I made the regretful decision of dropping the matter and not following through with this complaint. I instead made the decision to concentrate my time and efforts on my current employment and my graduate work.
In January, I requested tuition reimbursement for my graduate studies, as many other City employees have benefited from over the years. This was denied on the grounds that my degree (M.A. in Information Resources and Library Science) was not to benefit my department (Development Services). There are several employees (non-minorities) who have collected on this benefit for years but I was denied, and once again this was another matter that I chose to drop.
In June I, along with five other employees, were informed that we were to be laid off as of the start of the fiscal year due to the City’s budget cuts. Among those selected to be laid off was an Assistant Planner. This young Mexican-American man has a college degree in Planning and had announced that he was accepted to a Graduate Program with ASU and would be pursuing an M.A. There are several individuals in high-ranking positions within City Hall who have no formal education yet are getting paid much more than I or this Assistant Planner, yet we were the ones selected to be laid off.
Through my years in Maricopa, I have done much volunteer work, had a business in town, and have been involved with the Community. I was a substitute teacher for the Maricopa Unified School District in 2006. I served as the City’s Spanish interpreter and translated all of their official documents and had the opportunity to interact with the Latino Community. This academic year, I logged over 30 volunteer hours with the Maricopa Unified School District by providing free tutoring to English Language Learners (ELL). I also started a recycling program, “Cell Phone for Soldiers,” and as a result of these efforts, the City of Maricopa collected cell phones that provided 4,000 calling card minutes for our service men and women stationed overseas. I was recently elected as the Second Vice Commander for the American Legion Maricopa Post 133, and hope to give recognition and assistance to the Veteran population in Maricopa.
I refuse to focus on my layoff and choose only look forward to future endeavors. I am taking this opportunity to announce my candidacy for Maricopa’s future City Council elections. I figure that I can sit around complaining about everything that is so wrong with City Hall or I can do something about it. I chose to do the latter of the two; I am doing something about it. I am going to concentrate my time on this election, my children, my studies, and my volunteer work. I have met great people in this City and would love to represent the citizens of Maricopa in this capacity.
This article is one of many to come. If you wish to comment, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail at julia4council@yahoo.com.
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Julia Romero-Gusse
Julia Romero-Gusse
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