Who should hire summer help?

To have an understanding of the proper (and ethical) way to hire summer workers, or any workers for that matter in Peru, the best thing to do is to look back and learn how it has been done in the past. This is going to be a Hot Button issue for a lot of folks this summer and I can feel it warming up already. At the Recreation Board / Recreation Committee meeting last evening the topic was touched upon as well as some discussion of starting wages. Superintendant Bleck indicated that applications will be directed to the office of Human Resources. If you were not aware, it's true, we have an HR person on staff. Up until fairly recently the HR person in Peru was not exactly in great demand. That does not mean there were not hirings and firings or other HR duties to do. What I am saying is those hirings and firings were rarely if ever done correctly and or with any real integrity. This was not the fault of the Human Resources person on staff. During the Baker era employment in Peru can best be described as nothing short of a "free for all" or "who's the guy or gal (Judy) with enough stroke to get this person hired". In fact, the most interesting thing about our HR person, Kim Reese, is how she herself became employed by Peru. Long story short, she was hired by Don Baker at the urging of Joe Prazen during the nasty organizing battle between the city and the Electric Dept. employees back around the late 80's or early 90's. Prazen and Baker needed to insulate themselves from wrongful termination lawsuits by the employees they planned on firing for union organizing activities. Basically, they hired Kim to fire some people and it all worked out for Don and Joe and one very special electric department employee. But that's a story for another day. Anyway, Kim has been on the payroll ever since. That is not to say that HR has had much of a role in the actual hiring process of employees. After all, you only use HR if you have ethical standards and these guys don't qualify. Under Baker, if Don Kowalczyk wanted to hire his son, grandson, or whoever, he might mention it to Don and the next thing you know the kid shows up at the shop. After all, that's how Dima started with the city before indoor plumbing. Life is good for the chosen ones. If Joe Prazen wanted to hire a kid with no qualifications and no skills for a job that really requires both, it didn't matter. He got the nod from Don and it was a done deal because the kid was connected. HR probably had no clue who these people were until she met them at the Christmas party. That's just the way it was. So, we have come a long way if the process of hiring for city jobs has become professionalized. Lets see if HR is allowed to do the job with integrity and with no outside influence from those people who have had influence in the past regarding who is hired and who is not. Although some of the people who used to pull the strings are gone, some remain. This much I know for certain. If the "Don and Don and Judy and Joe Show" was still playing at 4th and Fulton Street in Peru, HR could take a long vacation.