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0 C~ INTER-OFFICE COMMUNICATION CITY OF SAN MATEO DATE: TO: FR OM: ZE: November 30, 1981 Barry Johnson, Assistant Fire Chief Richard B. DeLong, City Manager Nepotism - After due consideration I regret that I have to make what is a difficult and unpopular decision to deny your request to hire John Molinelli. I appreciate the mitigating circumstances you listed in your November 25 memo but these just aren't sufficient for me to create a precedent of allowing fathers and sons to work in the same department, particularly a department providing safety services. While it is very well to say that these decisions should be made on an individual basis (and to a degree, they are); it is not realistic to create personalized differences consisting of the applicant's charac- teristics. Those mitigating circumstances which caused my denial of this request are as follows: a) We are not faced with a shortage of qualified applicants. In fact, we have over 100 on the current eligibility list. b) The father is in a supervisory position and is not scheduled for immediate retirement. c) The department is a public safety department. d) Potential scheduling and assignment problems could arise. Please understand that our nepotism rules generally exist because the perceotion of corruption and favoritism are important. Regardless of our testing processes, the hiring of a son of a current supervisor gives the perception of faQoritism. Once it is allowed, I would be unable to preclude it from happening during future hirings in this and other city departments. In short, there really has to be extenuating circumstances before I will create the precedent. I don't find them in this instance. CITY MANAGER ~ ~ R!C A`RD 8. DE LOIV( cc: Chief Koron EXHIBIT I