MAHONING COUNTY Human resources director to leave soon

Commissioners are still looking for a replacement for Sellards, who is retiring from the county March 31.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- J. Kevin Sellards said his successor as Mahoning County's human resources director should have two qualifications.
"Whoever takes this job should be a public servant and a generalist," said Sellards, who is retiring at the end of this month. "You should learn as much as you can about everything because everyone will come to you with questions and expect you to know the answers."
That's the philosophy that's served Sellards well through more than 25 years as a municipal human resources director, the last six of them in Mahoning County.
Interviewing: Commissioners are interviewing candidates to replace Sellards but have not hired anyone. Sellards said that if someone is on board by the middle of the month, that will leave enough time for him to orientate him or her to the system.
"Anything much later than that will be really pushing it," he said.
Sellards was hired in February 1996 as the county's first personnel director. The position was recommended as part of a 1995 report on streamlining county government by KPMG Peat Marwick, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm.
At the time, Mahoning was the largest county in Ohio, in both size and budget, without a personnel director.
Chosen for experience: Sellards was chosen from a field of more than 200 applicants, largely because of his background managing more than 1,200 employees in Clark County in western Ohio, where he worked 18 years before coming here.
His experience with labor negotiations also led to his hiring. Sellards said that background served him well during his tenure here.
"Probably the hardest part of this job was to consolidate all the labor negotiations," he said.
Before he started, elected officials hired private contractors to handle their negotiations with union employees. About 1,200 of Mahoning County's 1,800 full-time workers are represented by 18 bargaining units.
Sellards said he now handles negotiations for nearly all county offices and has negotiated more than 50 contracts during his six years. The children services and mental retardation boards are the only ones who still use outside negotiators.
"And I sit in on those negotiations, I just don't have first chair," Sellards added.
Personnel system: Creation of a central personnel system was one of Sellards' goals when he came here and was one of his last accomplishments. It was another huge challenge because, in the past, county hirings were too often based on political patronage, regardless of qualifications, he said.
"We did away with that," Sellards said, noting that a handful of patronage hires who couldn't do the essential functions of their job were fired before their probationary period ended. "That sent a huge message."
Back then, officeholders screened their own applicants before hiring people. Now, they run applications through the personnel office before making a move, Sellards said. He's curbed the patronage hires by establishing minimum job qualifications.
"I still get some referrals from elected officials, but those people are lumped in and considered the same as any other applicants," he said. "If they aren't qualified, they don't work here."
Sellards was commended in a recent performance audit of county government for nine cost-saving measures he has implemented in the personnel department over the years.
The audit recommended creation of a comprehensive job and salary classification plan, which Sellards said should be a priority project for his replacement.
Controversy: His tenure has not been without controversy, however.
In December 1999, he was accused of giving health-care insurance bids to a broker before they were to be released. Commissioners suspended him but the Ohio Ethics Commission ruled no ethics laws were breached.
He also has been a frequent target of criticism from county government opponents who've called his position unnecessary and wanted him fired.
"I don't know why that all started. I never did anything to any of those people," Sellards said.
He said the job is important because personnel consumes the bulk of the county's budget. The personnel director also is responsible for managing some $10 million in hospitalization costs, $3 million in workers' compensation claims and $148 million worth of facilities.
"Those are big numbers and if they're not managed properly, situations can deteriorate very quickly and get out of control," he said.
bjackson@vindy.com