To Whom It May Concern

[KaylynJ]

And it sounds like you don't know what is going on. This has nothing to do with relatives getting the job and everything to do with how hard it is to take care of a family on this island and yet no one who lives on the island was given the job. Two of my relatives applied out of the 11. Two. Yet I would have been happy to have ANY one of those people get that job. But if it makes you feel better to believe that it was nepotism, go right ahead.

[Campbell60tr34@aol.com]

Contrary to popular belief: We are not all related here and when we do discover a pervert like the one alluded to above, we take care of them pretty quickly.

[MarissaCrandall]

Thanks, but lets not accuse me of suggesting nepotism... The comments I said before are more or less saying that the cizitens pay taxes here, they struggle to pay for the things that are nessesary in life. It's a hard life on the island and it's a sad thought that the few jobs available are being taken from a person that lives downstate where there are more job opportunities. Now, if you have your opinions about what I am "suggesting" you are more than welcome to private message me about them, but other than that please do not put these ideas in people's minds that make me seem like a rude person. Thank you.

[Shirley Cole]

Okay - here's a little something to stir the pot: I've been working as a federal agent for over 25 years, have top security clearances, and have considered applying for the postmaster position on several occasions (even most recently with Michelle's retirement, especially as I'm nearing retirement myself and might want to start a "second career"). I'm not "qualified" to be a postmaster as the only mail I've ever handled has been my own, but would love the opportunity to perhaps someday step into such a position and be trained for what I believe I could successfully perform in. Paul has been working in social services and school districts for over 20 years, and has a wealth of experience that few can match, not to mention his excellent abilities to communicate/counsel. We both have ties to the island through our respective families (Paul born and raised there, while my father's family born and raised there, yet I only summered there). We own a home there, pay our taxes, spend our summers there, and our children work there during the summers as well. I'm just wondering if we would be welcomed to the island if either a government/postal or educational/school opportunity arose that we were interested in? Certainly, we have jobs here downstate, but would we be considered in the same light as this off-islander who came up and took a position that someone currently living there may have been equally interested in and/or qualified for? I do not know all of the details behind this issue and specific candidate selection, but I have to wonder if we would be cast into the same category as the individual who may truly love the island and was just looking for a chance to live in "paradise" (as we all dream of doing). Don't get me wrong; I know it's a hard life up there and everyone works at everything with every chance they get to feed their families. My own dad worked sun up to sun down chopping wood for a dollar a day. I would not want to be accused, however, of taking food off someone else's table by either applying for or accepting an employment opportunity that someone on the island also wanted but didn't get. While I do believe that islanders should be given equal consideration for all employment opportunities, I don't believe they should be given preferential treatment simply because of their residency status. That would seem to me to be reverse discrimination, regardless of the position available. Again, just a thought to stir the pot as I, too, have mixed feelings on this subject. My own cousin whose mother was born and raised there, and who is sixth-generation island blood, did not even get an interview for the custodial position, so I understand both sides of the coin. He doesn't live there either, but would love to return to what he considers his island homeland. If he had gotten the job, however, would there still be hard feelings from the "islanders"? Or would there be some slack cut for him because of his island ties? Again, just thinking out loud ~ and all constructive feedback is welcomed. Paul and I do hope to retire there someday, and just want to know if we would be considered an asset to the community, or just asses for taking an opportunity away from someone that lives there already. Regardless of your feelings on this issue, this has been a very interesting thread to follow. Thanks for the thoughts ~Shirley Cole

[Newsman]

Shirley: A well thought out and intelligent response to the present controversy.

[James Bakker]

I believe taxes were mentioned once in this discussion. It is important to note that around 75% of the school monetary support comes from property owners that are non residents. Does this mean that 75% of all imployees should be from off the Island? Just a thought.

[Kim Connaghan Jones]

I wish people would bother to get the facts before posting on a subject, then you wouldn't be making such fools of yourselves with your posts. If you weren't in on the process, then trust me, you have no idea what the facts are.

[sbsp]

I'm not sure there is a 100% correct answer to the dilemma on this thread but the refreshing point is that people are publically expressing their opinions. Too many things happen in our fast paced world that impact us but often people resolve that there is no use in speaking out. Speaking out works! If one does not speak up, they become pawns in someone else's agenda. Become part of the solution, whatever it may be.

Kirk D. McBride

[sbsp]

Kim, There are no "fools" on this thread but please back up your statement with the facts as you see them.

Kirk D. McBride

[Kim Connaghan Jones]

First of all, this has NOTHING to do with "being an Islander" or "having Island connections" as so many seem to think. Second of all, no one but the people who applied for the job know the facts of what actually took place during the process or what went on during the school board meeting where it was brought up.

[sbsp]

Kim, No disrespect but I read your opinions just as others have posted but I see no stated facts to back your claim the only "fools" have posted to this thread.

Kirk D. McBride

[KaylynJ]

Shirley, I cannot speak for everyone else who is involved in this 'controversy' but speaking for myself, if you or Paul had wanted to come here and get a job that someone else who already lived here and was unemployed could have done then I would not have been very happy. But that situation would also likely not happen because your jobs require very specific qualifications and degrees therefore there would likely not be a long line of people who reside here year round ready to take the job. The difference here is that there were very qualified people for the job at the school, people who live here and must take care of their families. It has nothing to do with them being 'islanders' in the sense that most people think of it (that is, having major family connections).

[MarissaCrandall]

Facts:

One. We are not suggesting nepotism.
Two. We know people who REALLY needed the job, yet didn't even get interviewed
Three. The job requires people who can clean
Four. One application got "lost", so that person did not get a fair opportunity for the job
Five. A VERY qualified person, that already works at CMU doing harder stuff than cleaning, wasn't even interviewed.
Six. The person hired already had a job downstate
Seven. There are limited job opportunities on the island
Eight. There is a wider variety of jobs downstate
Nine. Island ties have NOTHING to do with the this situation, honestly we posted about it, we know the facts of if it has to do with the topic or not, and it doesn't. We have been welcoming to MANY people who have never even been to the island before but have gotten jobs. Jenna Wilk (for example) for BICS English teacher, and now for 21 Century worker. She is absolutely amazing, and the students love her. We welcomed her, and she did GREAT!
Ten. We are not unwelcoming to this new custodian, we are unwelcoming to the thought that apparently 9 people here weren't "qualified" to clean.

AND just a quick thought, since everyone else is throwing in their random thoughts. There was not discrimination against the new custodian, it was just that it seemed unfair to hire someone that already had a job, when people here struggle to get the FEW jobs available. But, discrimination seems like a real factor when some people were pushed away from even getting a chance to be interviewed.

Facts continued:

Eleven. Eleven people applied, only 5 got interviewed.
and Twelve. At the school board meeting (I attended) it was stressed that the members wouldn't be "fair" to pick someone without interviewing them because "when looking at the applications the board members may have put people above others on their quality of work, but when getting that personal interview with the applicants they got a better feel for who the person was and what they would bring to the school" Apparently this was not taken into consideration when they chose five, out of eleven, people to interview. Maybe if they would have given everyone a fair chance at the job, they find that someone else was just as "qualified" or more "qualified" for the job than the person they hired.

I think that the new employee does look like a very nice person, I saw him in the school working yesterday. Once while helping my mentor get things ready for the school year, and second when I saw him before volleyball. I thought that both times he seemed like he was a very nice person. There is nothing against him as an individual, and I even congratulate him on getting the job. I am not trying to offend anyone in this post by any means, but I want to make people aware of my opinion and the facts that I am aware of. PLEASE, if you don't understand the straight meaning of the argument, don't accuse people that were in the situation from the very beginning, of doing, or saying things that they are not. It makes us out to have bad characteristics that we do not have.


-Thanks

[jflanagan]

Marissa

Thanks for your well thought out summary. While I still don't agree that someone living on the island should have gotten the job primarily for that reason. I would agree that ties should go to the person already in the community.

The thing you mentioned that I hadn't really understood was that so many of the island residents were simply not interviewed.

Before I retired I used to have to hire and interview a lot of people. We had a rule. While we would not automatically give the job to an insider (someone already working for us or who was related to or knew someone working for us), we would always give those people a "courtesy interview". It really only takes a little more time, doesn't cost anything and people have at least had a chance to give it their best shot.

While, as you say, we don't know all the facts. I can at least say that the school really blundered when they didn't at least offer interviews to all local people.

Jim

[Shirley Cole]

"Kim Connaghan Jones
PostPosted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 8:03 pm
Post subject: off island hiring Reply with quote
What ever happened to taking care of your own? I don't know about anyone else, but I'm getting REAL tired of people from the mainland getting hired for island jobs, when SO many of the people right here on the island need those jobs to support their families."

Kim Connaghan Jones
PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2012 9:51 am
Post subject: Reply with quote
First of all, this has NOTHING to do with "being an Islander" or "having Island connections" as so many seem to think.

The above quotes seem completely contradictory.

I'm not trying to stir the pot TOO much because I don't have a dog in this fight, at least not at the present time. But should Paul and I decide to retire up there in 5 years or 10 years or even 20 years from now, and decide we would like to continue to work, I don't think it would be fair for anyone to say we're not entitled to the same employment opportunities just because we don't live there, or be bitter/unhappy should we actually be hired for a position. Kaylyn, that made me a little sad to think you feel that way. Especially because our families are not only related, but OUR family helped YOUR family move to the island in what seems like only a few short years ago. And while you are right in stating our current careers do require certain credentials that may set us apart from the mainstream, we most likely will want to do something entirely different up there (like sort mail, or help out in the school, or garden/landscape, or maybe just return to bartending/waitressing, or who knows? Maybe we'll start another business up there ourselves?). Regardless of what our future holds, I just enjoyed reading other thoughts and opinions about this issue, and I do not take anything personally.

I don't think anyone is a "fool" for posting their opinion, as everyone is entitled to have one, whether it is informed or not. As I mentioned in my first post, I don't have all the details nor do I care to know anymore about this particular selection for the school custodial position. What's done is done. My only aim in posting at all was to see what people thought about "former islanders" returning to the rock and potentially competing against those that live there for the same employment opportunities. I've always believed that jobs should go to the best qualified candidate, and if there are equally qualified candidates, then consideration should be given to those who already have ties to the community, whether they live there or summer there or have lived there in the past and would like to return. That approach would be more efficient and economical in avoiding the potential problem of hiring an equally qualified off-island candidate who has never lived there, moves there, then decides they don't like living there, only to move away which would necessitate going back to the drawing board to begin the hiring process all over again.

I could post a few other hypothetical situations which would give some people even more pause with their posts, but just want to close by saying again, this has been a very interesting thread.

(ps: I'm on leave today, so I'm not wasting anyone's tax dollars by reading or posting to this thread! )