False charges

If Lima Councilman Tommy Pitts had any evidence of administration officials sharing civil service test questions, he should have shared it. There are important factors to such an allegation: when the occurrences took place and who did it, for example. And there's this: An administration sharing test questions would be illegal.

Of course, Pitts has no evidence. He said so himself. He modified his most recent complaint about the David Berger administration a night after he made it. Pitts simply was giving voice to "community perceptions." Further, Pitts questioned Berger's commitment to hiring blacks - citing the same two hiring decisions he's been citing every time he raises this complaint. Both examples are easy to explain - and Berger has done so.

Minority hiring is a legitimate issue. City officials have pointed out they have a hard time attracting qualified minorities to take the civil service test. A recent exam for firefighters drove home that point - 110 people took the test, seven of them minorities and six women.

The civil service exam covers basic math skills and reading comprehension. As city employees - black and white - have told us, it's easy stuff, meant to be passed. We're not sure who Pitts had in mind when he charged that someone gave out questions ahead of time, but most of the city employees we've dealt with - black and white - don't need a heads-up for these. Putting names in alphabetical order really doesn't require a lot of advance notice.

But, speaking of covering the basics, Pitts would do himself a favor to learn more of what he is talking about before opening his mouth.