Lacerda irritates allies with psychological test.
The mayor from the PSB party decides to resume using tests inspired by Freud's scientific methodology to evaluate party nominations for key city government positions. In the City Council, council members complain, saying that Lacerda still doesn't understand what a "political nomination" is.
Minas 247 - The mayor of Belo Horizonte, Marcio Lacerda (PSB), has once again sparked controversy and angered his closest political allies with his decision to reinstate the so-called "psychological tests" for selecting people to fill top-level administrative positions. The practice has been used by the mayor since his days as a businessman, but had been suspended following complaints from his political allies.
Read an excerpt from Leonardo Augusto's article for the Estado de Minas newspaper:
Mayor Marcio Lacerda (PSB) has decided to resume the use of psychological tests to evaluate nominations made by allies for positions in the municipal government. The strategy, implemented during the mayor's first term in 2008, was not to be repeated in his second term after complaints from political allies. Lacerda, however, has decided to ask candidates for positions to take the test again.
The mayor's decision provoked an immediate reaction in the City Council, from where a large part of the requests for positions in the city hall originate. "The comment is that Lacerda, until now, hasn't understood the meaning of the expression 'political appointment'. With the evidence, it seems that those appointed don't have enough intelligence to work in the city hall," states a councilman. Also according to parliamentarians, the evidence would be analyzed by Lacerda's wife, Regina, who is a psychologist.
The test that nominees had to pass at the beginning of the mayor's first term was similar to that used by human resources departments in private sector companies. Candidates answered 600 multiple-choice questions and had their psychological profile evaluated by a professional in the field. Former Lacerda leader in the City Council, Ronaldo Gontijo (PPS) – the new occupant of the position has not yet been chosen (see above) – does not confirm that the mayor has resumed the tests. The councilman states that the appointments are paralyzed, despite Lacerda having already spoken with representatives of the 19 parties that supported his re-election.
A former businessman in the telecommunications sector, the mayor has always used psychological assessment tactics to select employees. The teams also underwent training to improve the quality of the work environment. One of the professionals hired by the then-businessman for this task is the current federal deputy Antonio Roberto (PV), as Lacerda himself recalled during the October election campaign. On his website, the congressman presents himself as a behavioral consultant.
The tests are administered regardless of the rank the candidate may eventually belong to. According to allies of the mayor, although Lacerda has already spoken with representatives of all the parties that supported him, and has already requested the lists of nominations, the appointments are likely to be finalized only days before Carnival. The main parties supporting Lacerda have already presented the positions they intend to occupy in the municipal administration. The PPS wants the Education Secretariat. The PSDB intends to remain in BHTrans and the Health Secretariat. The PV, the party of Vice-Mayor Délio Malheiros, wants the Municipal Environment Secretariat.