In a highly unusual move, the South Portland City Council on Monday blocked the appointment of a nominee to fill a five-year term on the Civil Service Commission.

Councilor Brad Fox, who represents District 5, had recommended the appointment of Deqa Dhalac to the commission in place of Phillip LaRou. Fox successfully nominated LaRou to the panel 10 months ago to fill an unexpired term.

On a motion by Councilor Linda Cohen, the council majority voted to keep LaRou on the commission, an action that so angered Fox he left the meeting and did not return.

Fox, in defending his choice of Dhalac, who came to the U.S. from Somalia 26 years ago, said the city needs to see more diversity on its citizen-led boards and commissions.  Members of the seven-person Civil Service Commission appoint, promote and discipline the city’s policemen and firefighters.

Fox also said that while the decision not to reappoint LaRou was a difficult one, he felt that in choosing Dhalac, he’d made the choice of the “finest person available” and one who is highly respected in his neighborhood, which is located on the west end of the city.

Fox told the Current Tuesday, “We clearly need to do continual outreach to our multicultural community to make them feel included in our civic life. Their incredible histories and talents need to be celebrated and we need them to participate, not be hidden away, as they have been for so long. I am glad Deqa was willing to allow me to put her name into nomination.”

He added, “While we’re sorry she didn’t get the appointment, Deqa and I are happy that the issue of diversity is now before the council and the public.”

Fox said he sought out Dhalac, who works with refugees for the city of Portland, after attending a recent celebration honoring all the residents who serve on South Portland’s boards and commissions and noticed that “out of the hundreds of people there, there was not one person of color.”

He added, “I know of no people of color or ethnicity, other than white (who are serving) on any of our boards and commissions, or working in the fire department.”

Fox said Dhalac‘s recommended appointment to the Civil Service Commission was a deliberate effort to change that culture.

Fox also said that when he first spoke with Dhalac about appointing her to serve District 5 on one of the city’s boards and commissions, “I told her that I wanted to put her on one of the three most important boards or commissions – Civil Service, Planning, or Appeals – (but) only Civil Service was open this year. She is certainly the most qualified person I know for any city board or commission.”

Following the council meeting, Fox also told the Current he felt it was “condescending” of the other councilors to suggest that Dhalac should serve on some other committee, specifically the Library Advisory Board, which also has a vacancy that’s been assigned to Fox to fill.

In acting to keep LaRou on the Civil Service Commission, the council majority noted that his expertise, as a longtime firefighter, would be key as the commission is now in the process of helping to select a new fire chief to replace Kevin Guimond, who retired this past fall.

“The fact that we are selecting a new fire chief is all the more reason we need to have a diverse Civil Service Commission right now,” Fox said following Monday’s council meeting.

While several councilors acknowledged the need for more diversity on South Portland’s boards and commissions, only Councilor Eben Rose backed Fox in his attempt to get Dhalac appointed.

Rose not only agreed with Fox about the need for more diversity, he also said it was not too many weeks ago that the council set a common goal for the year of getting more diverse representation on the city’s boards and commissions.

He also called the council action in not appointing a nominee recommended by another councilor “an unusual situation and an odd one. Usually (such appointments) are mutually respected.”

Rose also said the other councilors were making a value choice in retaining LaRou and that choice was not to confront “structural racism.”

But the other councilors said the issue was not one of diversity, but one of fairness, particularly since several members of the Civil Service Commission spoke in praise of LaRou and said in the past year he’s become an invaluable member of the board.

In making her motion to keep LaRou on the commission, Cohen said that it was only fair to allow a sitting commissioner “who is well qualified and done a great job” to remain.

She said it would send the wrong message to those people who’ve volunteered to serve to be turned away, particularly after making significant contributions.

Cohen noted that while “no one owns a seat, it’s certainly an expectation” that someone who’s been appointed to fill an unexpired term would get a full term of his own, unless the person no longer wished to serve or was otherwise unsuitable.

While Cohen was “very impressed” with Dhalac and would “certainly like to see more women and people of color” serving the city, she still felt that reappointing LaRou was the right choice.

Councilor Claude Morgan agreed. He said that it’s important for the council to “give our volunteer citizen committees the resources they need and what I’m hearing from the sitting commission is a desire for continuity at this seminal moment” of appointing a new fire chief.

In weighing in on the debate, Mayor Tom Blake said for him the issue came down to one simple question – who was best qualified for the job.

He agreed that Dhalac submitted an “outstanding application,” but said the Civil Service Commission is a “critical board” and “LaRou is very valuable because he knows what is what.”

Blake said that while there are “many, many places where (Dhalac) could serve the community, in this particular case the best person is there already.”

LaRou was unable to attend Monday’s council meeting because he was working, but he sent a letter to the council, which was read into the record.

In that letter, LaRou questioned why he wasn’t being re-appointed and asked what made Dhalac more qualified to serve. He also noted his deep roots in South Portland, which included joining the Willard Square fire call company in 1991.

LaRou also noted that he’s never missed a meeting of the Civil Service Commission since joining last year.

“I have the knowledge, skill and ability,” he wrote.

For her part, Dhalac asked the council to “do the right thing” and appoint her to the commission because “I am qualified and well educated.”

She was backed by several other residents of District 5, who said that putting Dhalac on the board would send a message to the city’s multicultural community that they are welcome and valued.

 Fox told the Current Tuesday he left the council meeting to “see Deqa and her family to make sure they were all right and then I realized that I was too upset to consider the other issues before the council.”

The setback with the Civil Service Commission, however, has not stopped Fox’s efforts to diversify the representation on the city’s boards and commissions.

This week he vowed to appoint Makara Meng to the library board at the next council meeting and said, “(I) will continue with the process of increasing diversity on our boards, commissions and city staff.”

South Portland City Councilor Brad Fox is adamant that there needs to be more diversity on the city’s boards and commissions.

Deqa Dhalac works with refugees and asylum seekers that are seeking assistance from the city of Portland’s Refugees Services Program and has been a resident of South Portland for the past seven years.

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