It happens to most professionals at one time or another in their career. They see the next rung on the career ladder open up, think they’ve done all they can to prepare to take that step up, apply and then see someone else chosen instead. It can be disappointing.

But when that happens as a result of cronyism, or worse still, discrimination, it is more than disappointing. It is infuriating. When that happens in the private sector, the person passed over isn’t the only loser. The company is also robbed of having the best possible person in the job. Over time, that can destroy morale and performance. Fortunately, there are some safeguards in place to deal with such corporate behavior, but the reality is that they are imperfect and it still happens in businesses large and small.

When it happens in the public sector, however, the list of losers grows much longer. Such behavior leads to inefficient government and a loss of trust, which negatively impacts us all.

Christine Jackson, a 21-year veteran employee for Tuscaloosa County, stood up at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting and said it has happened to her. She told commissioners that she believes her and other qualified black applicants have been passed over for promotion because of their race and a culture of “cronyism” in the county license commissioner’s office. Jackson said a white applicant was hired for a position even though the three black applicants were better qualified. She said the white applicant who got the job did not meet the job requirements. That is a serious allegation that should concern every taxpayer, regardless of race.

Jerry Carter, president of the Tuscaloosa chapter of the NAACP, was at the meeting to support Jackson. He said Jackson has been a model county employee.

Probate Judge Hardy McCollum chairs the County Commission. He rightly pointed out that the allegations are disturbing. He was also correct when he told Jackson that a commission meeting was not the proper place to rectify the issue.

If Jackson’s comments are a true reflection of the hiring process at the county, she was both brave and correct to make a public declaration and alert our elected officials to the problem. But the Civil Service Board was created specifically to address these types of issues and McCollum was right when he advised her of the proper procedure in addressing her concerns.

Jackson said she has doubts about whether the system in place can be trusted to correct the problem. We hope that she will pursue these avenues. We also hope that the NAACP will stay abreast of the progress of her complaint through the proper channels. We urge the county commissioners to do the same.

If there’s a problem in the hiring process that allows for discrimination or cronyism, it needs to be dragged into the open and remedied. And it needs to happen quickly. If there isn’t a problem, the citizens deserve to know that the system in place can be trusted.