Isaac Yu Photo
Rev. Steven Cousin gets the firefighter lottery ball rolling.
Wednesday evening’s top winners; story has link to full list.
“60, 75, 13, 27, 80, 22 …”
Steven Cousin rattled off the numbers in a hotly-watched round of Powerball — not for a million-dollar jackpot, but for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to become a New Haven firefighter.
Cousin, the city’s fire commission chair, was picking the numbers at 200 Orange St. Wednesday night in a first-of-its-kind unusual civil-service procedure: Compiling a ranked list of which applicants get to fill empty firefighter slots.
A handful of officials were in the room with him. Meanwhile an audience of 70 tuned in to a livestream.
One by one, 99 custom-stamped ping pong balls tumbled out of a golden drum, establishing the order in which 99 people who scored 100 on a civil-service test will be placed on the prospective hires list for entry-level firefighting positions.
Cousin and fire Commissioner David Hartman took turns at the wheel, relaying the numbers to city human resources chief Stephen Librandi, who matched them to candidates’ names.
The first winner announced was … Thomas Mieles. Ping-pong ball #60.
Then came Nicholas Rivera (ball #75), followed by Quincy Brown (13), on down the line to 99.
Click here to view the full final list.
Gold drum, purchased from Amazon, with 99 custom-stamped ping pong balls.
Why was there a lottery?
Because so many firefighters tied for first place with perfect 100 scores on a test for the position, far more than there are openings. Commissioners decided a random lottery would be the fairest way to pick who fills the slots.
The New Haven Firebirds Society disagreed that that is a fair process. On behalf of 31 of the 100-scorers, they filed a lawsuit against the city, arguing that all 99 candidates should be allowed to move on to the vetting process. A debate ensued, prompting the city to reconsider its hiring process. The lottery was originally scheduled for April 28, then canceled. Commissioners ultimately decided to proceed with the lottery Wednesday evening after the city’s corporation counsel office defended the randomized process as the most unbiased way to quickly seat a new class while minimizing costs to taxpayers.
“It’s the only way to make it fair,” Fire Chief John Alston said of the lottery. He noted that these candidates were tested more than 18 months ago, meaning many may have accepted other job opportunities. Additionally, Alston hypothesized, some candidates may be deterred from moving forward by the recent death of a New Haven firefighter.
Alder Gerald Antunes conversing with Fire Chief Alston at the event.
Twenty-three firefighter positions are currently open. Alston said he expects another five or so to become available by July.
The first 50 to 60 candidates on the new list will receive letters by next week, Alston explained, since only one out of three offers typically result in a firefighter completing the background check, physical and drug screenings and final interview process. He said he expects that the class of new firefighters will be seated no later than September.
Those who don’t receive letters now shouldn’t completely despair. The same list created Wednesday will be used for offers extended to the next class in December.
The end of the drawn-out lottery drew cheers from attendees in the room, who included Alders Richard Furlow, Tyisha Walker-Myers, and Gerald Antunes, who chairs the board’s Public Safety Committee.
Librandi ordered the cage and ping pong balls specially for this event.
“Hopefully,” he said when the lottery ended, “I’ll lock them in the vault and never see it again.”