Based on the recent articles regarding applicants for a job posting with the Town of Smithfield, it doesn’t appear to me to be an issue of nepotism, since nepotism already exists with town employees and has even recently been approved by the Town Council.

Instead, the issue to me is the violation of confidential personnel matters. I can assure you this is not the first time this violation has occurred in recent years, and unless changes are made to address the root cause of these “leaks,” it will happen again. Such leaks of confidential information could prove to be very lucrative to someone willing to pursue legal action against the Town of Smithfield.

Applications for employment with the Town of Smithfield are mailed to the Smithfield Town Hall with no other specific mailing instructions. Since this is a generic address, the mail is subject to opening by someone within the confines of Town Hall. In fairness to all applicants for any open positions, one should be able to apply for a job and have the comfort of knowing his or her inquiry is in total confidentiality until a job offer is made.

Any selected employee or member of the screening/interview committee for applicants for posted positions has access to confidential and personal information of those persons applying for employment. The Town of Smithfield should consider the entire screening/interview process to be confidential in nature, including any materials, ratings, questions/responses, comments and discussions, and recommendations made in connection with the screening/interviews.

Because of the confidentiality and sensitivity of the screening/interview process, town officials and members of the independent committee have a responsibility not to discuss or disclose any information relating to the screening/interviews to persons or parties who are not authorized to be privy to such information. But instead of keeping confidential information confidential, The Herald, personnel in Town Hall, a councilman and former councilman decide the best way to address this is to publicize what is confidential information.

Not only have you breached a code of ethics yourself, but I am sure you have discouraged one very qualified applicant and others from wanting to come back to Smithfield to start a career and family.

Johnston County continues to be one of the fastest-growing counties in North Carolina, increasing in population by 50 percent from 2000 to 2006, while Smithfield grew a whopping 3.3 percent during the same period. You don’t have to look too far to wonder what’s wrong with this picture.

DAVID LASATER
Smithfield