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October 15, 2009
To the Editor:
At last month’s debate sponsored by the NAACP/Middletown between Orange County Executive Eddie Diana and his challenger, Pat O’Dwyer, the question of diversity in the workplace, especially in managerial positions, was asked by a concerned citizen. Mr. Diana acknowledged that only three management-level employees out of 183 management level positions are held by minorities: Two African-American women were recently hired during this election year and the third employee was hired by a previous administration. This means that minorities represent 0.016% of managerial positions in Mr. Diana’s administration. This is not a record to be proud of or accepted.
The Latino community alone represents 16 percent of Orange County and we continue to grow. It is unfortunate that county government does not reflect the diversity of the county and Mr. Diana has not made an effort to recruit qualified and talented Latinos.
Several of Mr. Diana’s remarks during the debate spoke volumes to his perception of minorities in the County. For example, he stated that the competitive nature of having to take the Civil Service Exam and scoring in the top three, means that a lot of “those people” cannot pass the test and do not qualify for the positions. Such assumptions will not be tolerated any longer.
Mr. Diana, “those people” voted and flexed their political muscle in last year’s election and will continue to do so in every election. On November 3rd, “those people” will remember that 3 out of 183 managerial positions are held by minorities. That is unacceptable Mr. Diana at any level, especially management.
So to Mr. Diana, know that many of “those people” are highly qualified teachers, small business owners, doctors, attorneys, elected officials, and yes, even a Supreme Court Justice and President of the United States. It’s time to change Orange. On November 3rd let’s elect Pat O’Dwyer as the new County Executive who will work towards a county government that will reflect the diversity of the county.
Sonia Ayala
Monroe, NY
Comments:
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Dear Ms. Ayala,
Shouldn't the most "qualified" job candidate be the one that is chosen or are you suggesting that we put a quota system in place. Your harping on "those people" as if it is some kind of racist statement, is just another failed attempt at playing the race card. We could easily replace "those people" with "those applicants" or "those job seekers", this is merely a "dirty trick" attempt to malign Mr. Diana. If people are not passing civil service exams, I can assure you that your candidate won't be able to change that either. You really owe Mr. Diana an apology for writing such an incendiary opinion piece.
posted by PETER MALONE on 11/01/09 at 9:44 AM
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