In Town of Mansfield v. Civil Service Commission, the Superior Court concluded that the Commission overstepped its statutory role and made an error of law by applying the wrong legal standard in its review of the bypass decision. The Town argued and the Court agreed that the Commission impermissibly substituted its judgment for that of the Chief on several bases for its decision to overturn the bypass including the quality of Ms. Strano’s interview performance (which the Chief concluded as “atrocious”) and concerns about her improper associations or “bad choices” in partners (“three consecutive disastrous relationships”). The Court’s decision serves as a reminder to the Commission that its role is not to judge the qualifications of a candidate or to determine whether he or she should have been bypassed, but rather to decide whether the appointing authority had a reasonable justification for its decision after an impartial and reasonably thorough review of his or her candidacy. The Court concluded that the Town had demonstrated a reasonable justification for its bypass decision and vacated the Commission’s decision.
