Implied criticism on diversity was unfair

It appears that Mr. Jones, in his letter to Daily Herald of Feb. 12, may have failed to do his homework and apply a little common sense to the recommendations of The Kaleidoscope Group. The implied criticism of the staff and trustees of the village of Arlington Heights is unfair. This diversity issue was raised many months ago, in regard to the police department, which seems to lack diversity.

My response was to challenge the writer to provide and recommend people of color to apply for one of the available positions. Unfortunately, to the best of my knowledge, he was apparently unable to provide such an applicant. Perhaps, Mr. Jones should take a few minutes to speak to Village Manager Randall Recklaus and hear some important facts.

How do you hire a police officer, when there are no candidates applying for the job?

Just because people of color choose to live in the village, doesn't automatically mean that they are uncomfortable with the makeup of the village staff. People of color already employed apparently have no need or desire to work for the village. Other people of color that may have the desire to work for the village may have other constraints that discourage them from applying.

How would Mr. Jones propose to change that metric? Unfortunately, our laws do not allow the village to select an unwilling applicant and drag him or her kicking and screaming to fill an open position.

Michael J. Singer

Arlington Heights