MAHONING COUNTY Children services board looks to fill new position

The position is essentially to replace a longtime worker who is retiring.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Mahoning County Children Services Board plans to hire a human-resources director to oversee its personnel matters.
The position was created by the board in March, said executive director Denise Stewart. She said 26 applications have been received for the position, which will pay $50,000 a year plus benefits.
"With all the privacy issues we deal with on a daily basis, we really need a human-resources director," Stewart said.
Until now, personnel matters have been handled by longtime employee Kathleen Bolha, who also serves as office manager. Bolha plans to retire effective June 1, after 32 years of service, so someone else must assume those duties, Stewart said.
Making the decision
Because of the importance placed on privacy issues by a new federal privacy act, Stewart said the board felt it would best to hire one person to focus solely on personnel matters. She expects someone to be hired at the board's regular meeting in May.
The county has a human-resources director, Connie Pierce, who works for county commissioners. But Stewart said Pierce already is swamped with overseeing more than 1,000 other county employees.
The children services board, which has about 135 employees of its own, felt it would be best to hire its own human-resources director, Stewart said.
CSB gets its funding from a property tax levy and from state and federal children service programs, not from the county general fund.
Floree Stubbs, a technical typist at CSB, will be moved into the office manager's position and will be paid $39,000 a year, Stewart said. According to county payroll figures, Stubbs was paid $30,387 last year.
Stewart said the office manager is responsible for supervising 15 workers.
bjackson@vindy.com