The Civil Service Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to uphold its earlier decision to place King, a convicted felon, on the list. He is ranked 16th on the list to hire entry-level firefighters. Under the current city budget, however, there is no money to hire new firefighters.

The two-year-old list will remain on the books until two years after the date of the first hire. Meanwhile, the list is being challenged in federal court.

"We affirm King's being on the list as a firefighter [candidate] in Bridgeport," said commission member Glen Mudre. The commission's decision came after several hours of discussion and a short closed-door session.

After the announcement, King's supporters shook hands and hugged each other.

Susan Wallace, King's lawyer, praised the commission.

"I think they made a just decision," she said.

The approval followed pleas from Donald Day, a retired city fire captain and director of the Northeast Region of the International Association of Black Professional Fire Fighters, and Ron Mackey, president of the Firebirds Society, an organization of black city firefighters.

Supporters called King's involvement with the Peeler gang a youthful indiscretion. Since his release, he has earned a college degree and held two city jobs, one working with children.

Opponents of the commission's decision included the city's Board of Fire Commissioners, provisional Fire Chief Brian Rooney and Personnel Director Ralph Jacobs.

Rooney declined to comment after the meeting.

During the public portion of the discussion, Jacobs argued it was "reasonable" that King could have a drug problem because he had handled them.

But Wallace said he was only convicted of selling drugs.

Besides, she added, he is on probation until 2007, with the condition that he take random drug tests.

Wallace further questioned the Fire Department's handling of personnel who commit felonies after being hired.

She claimed two firefighters have been fired — one accused of stealing from lockers and the other for allegedly stealing money from a soda machine.

Now, the commission faces another controversial choice: whether to keep another convicted felon, Edward Valderrama, ranked 91st, on the list. He has drug convictions from 1986.

Also, two more convicted felons are appealing being rejected from the hiring list.

City Attorney Mark Anastasi has ruled that the city's Civil Service Department cannot impose a blanket ban on hiring people with felony convictions for city jobs. Hiring a felon can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

But felons cannot be police officers because state law bars them from carrying firearms.

A felony is a major offense, not necessarily violent, that carries a penalty of a year or more in prison.

Aaron Leo, who covers regional issues, can be reached at 330-6222.