Robert F. Holmes, 34, was one of the more than 10,000 applicants who applied under the new system. When his name wasn't picked to advance to the written exam, background check and scored interview that decide who is hired, he filed a complaint with the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing.



"Sampling an applicant's ethnicity before they even test doesn't sound right to me," Holmes said in an interview. "If I'm not selected because my test scores aren't up there, I'm fine with that. I just think everybody should be able to test."



White males such as Holmes accounted for 35% of the overall applicant pool, city records show. The city's new screening method is intended to eliminate the possibility that, by random chance, small groups of applicants, such as Native Americans, would be passed over, according to Bruce Whidden a spokesman for the city Personnel Department.