Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and Ald. Maurice Cheeks introduce a resolution that would direct the city human resources director and the city attorney to come up with recommendations for eliminating questions regarding prior criminal convictions from city applications. Those issues would come up later in the hiring process, most likely after a candidate’s qualifications have been established and an interview has been scheduled. At that time, prior convictions would only be an issue if the circumstances are relevant to job duties. Soglin said that while the focus is currently on changing the city’s application process, in the future, it is hope to influence the private sector to follow their lead.
