Fraters Libertas

Reach for the Stars

The Pioneer Press reporting on Minneapolis's new fire chief:

If confirmed by the City Council in December - and that appears virtually certain - [Bonnie] Bleskachek will become the first female fire chief in Minnesota history and one of the few openly gay fire chiefs in the country.

Bleskachek, who lives in South Minneapolis with her two children, ages 10 and 5, says she realizes that she's a role model for women. Indeed, she said she's been reminded of that repeatedly in the interviews she's given since [Mayor] Rybak announced her recommendation last Sunday.

Bleskachek has been reminded that she's a role model repeatedly in interviews. Reminded by who? The press? Well, they do know stuff. And this role model status certainly is news to me. Girls of Minneapolis, you have a new dream to dream. Work hard, eat your vegetables, and you too could become a lesbian, single mother, fire chief.

Amid all the breathless praise from the Mayor's office and the press, there is another side to this story. According to the Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder, the departure of current chief Rocco Forte (via a promotion to another city government position) and Bleskachek's elevation may have been motivated by criteria other than qualifications alone:

Everyone knows Rocco Forte is one of the nation's leading fire chiefs, recognized for both his management skills and his ability to bring diversity to the department. The mayor and his "forces," stung by their inability to make one of the police GLBT persons chief of police, are determined to win on that issue by passing Bonnie Bleskachek over 10 individuals who out-rank her.

Also, this from the City Pages:

There are those who wonder if Forte's "promotion" was really about clearing the way for a female chief, to appease those City Council members who had backed either Lucy Gerold or Sharon Lubinski for police chief. (The recommended interim chief, Bonnie Bleskachek, is not next to Forte in the chain of command, but she is one of the department's highest-ranking females.) This possibility rankled some minority community leaders, who credit Forte as the main force in Minneapolis's building the most diverse fire department nationwide.

So, is Bleskachek a role model or politically correct, affirmative action trophy? One wonders if the press recognizes a difference.