Aurora – The city will hire an outside investigator to look into claims that a sergeant was passed over for a promotion because he is black.
Aurora’s Civil Service Commission called a special meeting today and voted to hire Mountain States Employers Council to look into the allegations brought by Sgt. Tommy Williams.
“That’s all I asked for, to have someone independently look at the process,” said Williams, who attended the meeting. “It’s not a Tommy Williams issue. It’s an issue about the process.”
Williams was one of five candidates who took the lieutenant test in May and the only black candidate. The other four were white males. He scored high marks on written parts, which are administered by the city. But he scored poorly on his oral presentation, which is worth 60 percent of the test and is done by a private assessment center.
While pleased by the announcement, those who support Williams said they are still looking into filing a racial-discrimination lawsuit.
“We need to see some diversity in the solutions,” said Glenda Wells Evans, president of Citizens Concerned About Minorities in Aurora. “As a community, we are not going to stand for any less.”
Police Chief Dan Oates was permitted to address the commission, as was anyone else. At last week’s Civil Service Commission meeting, Oates was barred from speaking because he hadn’t signed up far enough in advance to do so.
After the meeting, Oates said the controversy and “public turmoil” was taking a toll on his department.
“I think it’s a smart move,” Oates said of the outside investigation. “We have five strong candidates for lieutenant. It’s only natural they feel comfortable with the process.”
