POUGHKEEPSIE – Applications for municipal jobs in the City of Poughkeepsie will no longer ask the question if the person has been convicted of a felony.
In a seven to one vote Tuesday night, the Democrat-dominated common council voted to support Republican Mayor Robert Rolison’s proposal to “ban the box” from job applications.
Only one council member dissented. The lone Republican, Lee Klein wanted to compare how the city and private companies did their job searches.
“The assumption is that a criminal conviction is an automatic bar to employment,” Klein said. “I am not sure that is an accurate assumption. The employers typically do want to know and be familiar with their prospective employee’s background and I think that would apply as a general rule in the private sector and would apply reasonably well in the public sector.”
All other council members said everyone should have an equal opportunity to apply for a government job.
The City of Poughkeepsie joins the cities of Newburgh, Beacon, Kingston and the Town of Poughkeepsie in banning the box on job applications. The policy does not preclude running background checks on applicants.
Three-time felon sentenced to prison
May 14, 2024
