Kontos Column | Diversity, now there’s a concept we can agree on
By Dan Kontos
On March 5, with only one month left in his successful five-year term as a member of the Stevens Point Police and Fire Commission, retired Assistant Police Chief Ron Carlson had a sit-down meeting with Mayor Mike Wiza.
There, Carlson was gut-punched with the news that the mayor would not be reappointing him to the PFC. His sin, he was white, middle-aged, and a man—and the city’s Common Council would not approve.
Despite the fact that Carlson was the only member of the PFC with actual emergency services experience, he was no longer valued. Much like greed, lust, and sloth, “diversity” (or lack thereof) was now the eighth deadly sin in this new progressive order. Therefore, we must eradicate it by substituting irrelevant and immutable characteristics for those traits and abilities that actually matter, or used to matter.
Unable to change to meet this new requirement of diversity, Carlson, a man of principle and character, resigned from the PFC. In hindsight, he simply could have identified as a non-binary Guatemalan woman and kept his position. Too late for that now.
When asked about the allegations that Carlson levied in his letter of resignation, Wiza confirmed that it was true, and mentioned Common Council President Meleesa Johnson specifically by name. Johnson, of course, denied ever saying that.
Johnson said that the mayor got it wrong, that she has nothing against middle-aged white men, and only wants the best for the city—and the way to get there is through diversity. She was, in her own words, “flabbergasted” at the allegation, and didn’t even know Carlson. All she knew was what he looked like: white, middle-aged, and male.
Flabbergasted? Do tell. This, even after admitting that the mayor told her over a drink at Guu’s last year that he would not reappoint any of the current PFC commissioners, based on the council’s wish for more diversity. Huh, so it wasn’t really a surprise, after all, was it? Perhaps she meant to say that she was surprised that there was any pushback.
You see, to Ms. Johnson, diversity means substituting current professional standards for people that look different because of their gender, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation. To her, those are morally superior traits that far outpace experience, education, and ability. In her own words, she said to the Metro Wire, “I believe we need a PFC that is diverse and reflects our community… men, women, Asians, Latinos, LGBTQ, ya know, that’s pretty much what I’ve said consistently.”
We have been misled all this time. We were told that the best and brightest should be sought out for governmental service because it is so important. No, no, no; Johnson believes a more diverse body would result in a “more deliberative Commission.” Because everyone knows that Pakistanis or Pacific Islanders are far more serious in their considerations than old white guys.
Johnson later continued to dig from the bottom of her hole by issuing a statement on March 20. She said that “a call for greater diversity is not a call for the exclusion of ‘white middle-aged males.’”
I’m sure that comforts the other white middle-aged males currently on the PFC. She then went on to lay out some statistics about the demographics in the city.
Let’s do some math. When we are looking at a diverse (by her definition) five-member PFC, we have to look at assigning each position based on a proportional share. That is what we call a quota.
Using simple math, each seat on the PFC represents 20 percent of the board. Help me out here, if 50.6 percent of the population is female, then do they get two or three seats? Do we round up or down? Only 12 percent are non-whites; well, I guess that means that none of the seats can go to that group since they don’t hit the 20 percent threshold. Don’t want to over-represent, ya know.
What if a female member is also black? Does that count for two, or is she excluded because she is not white? We must represent the 88 percent who are, right? Oh, perhaps they don’t count anymore. Now, don’t forget to factor in their age, since we need to hit that all-important 20-50 year old demographic that represents 48 percent of the city.
What if a woman is of a mixed ethnic background, half-Eastern Indian and half-Jamaican, and there is only one spot for a vice president? Who does she represent now?
See where I’m going with this?
How about we practice some real diversity, and quit the ridiculous woke game of social engineering? Why don’t we look at people’s abilities, knowledge, skills, and backgrounds, rather than the tone of their skin, which bathroom they use, or any other irrelevant characteristics?
Why don’t you look for someone to serve on the PFC with actual law enforcement experience? Oops, we had one. Someone with a fire service background? Emergency medical training would be helpful. How about a financial background, legal training, or a public administrator? If there are more candidates than seats? Great, let’s choose the best candidate, not the one that looks like we want them to. That is real and meaningful diversity.
Quotas based on anything other than knowledge, skills, and abilities mean one of two things. You could believe that one ethnic group or gender is superior to the other(s); the actual definitions of racism and sexism. You could also believe that these people cannot make it on their own, and need a progressive hand to uplift them past their own inadequacies; the soft bigotry and sexism of low expectations. Either is, frankly, insulting.
Meleesa Johnson didn’t get her seat on the Common Council or County Board because of (or in spite of) her race or gender, and frankly, her sexual orientation is none of my business. She was elected by those citizens who believed she was the best available candidate for her position, even when she ran unopposed.
I’m confident that Johnson believes that she is the best for her positions, so why shouldn’t we strive to find the very best for others. There can only be one best, and settling for less is a shame. Choose carefully at the polls, for you get the government you elect.
And so, you see that I’m a true champion of actual diversity. To borrow from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., I believe in judging others by the content of their character, not the color of their skin—no matter what kind of body parts it covers. Do you agree? Let’s meet in the opinion section to talk about all of it, boldly, unafraid, and still with a healthy respect for each other’s character. Until then, God bless.
Dan Kontos is a paid columnist for the Metro Wire. He chooses his own topics and his opinions do not necessarily represent the staff of the Metro Wire. He lives with his family in Whiting.
Interested in becoming a columnist for the Metro Wire? Email [email protected].