Provisional Patronage

To the Editor:

In the July 21 issue, I read Reuven Blau's article re: the increase in NYC provisional employees to a total of 30,339. Included in this list are 1,385 Administrative Staff Analysts and 1,307 Associate Staff Analysts. These two titles are high-ranking, well-paid managerial and supervisory positions, not entry-level clerical positions reflecting high turnover.

The Administrative Staff Analyst provisional position, in particular, is most often reflective of criteria such as cronyism, personal favoritism, sexual and political favors, clubhouse payoffs and, rarely and inadvertently, professional competence.

This position should be held only by people who have demonstrated merit and fitness via a competitive exam and suitable probationary period. If the Police Department appointed Captains the way the mayoral agencies appoint provisional managers by deep-sixing the civil service law, the NYPD would be in much worse shape than it is.

The scuttling of the merit system in order to appoint unqualified provisional managers is a blight on the city government.

There is no valid reason for having so many unqualified people in the Administrative and Associate Staff Analyst Titles. In these titles, the provisionals outnumber the legal employees.

GEORGE SILBERMAN