2 administrators have to pass tests

The two employees don't need to finish in the top 10 to keep their jobs.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Two city administrators hired to civil service posts on a provisional basis during the first days of Mayor Jay Williams' administration must pass written tests June 17 to keep their jobs.
Kyle L. Miasek, deputy finance director, and Harry L. Johnson III, water department auditor and office manager, must score at least a 70 out of 100 on the written test.
Because the city's civil service commission appointed the two Jan. 3 to provisional appointments at the request of Williams, Miasek and Johnson need to get a 70 on the test, according to the commission. Provisional appointees don't need to be among the top 10 on the tests to retain their posts as long as they get a passing score of 70, according to the commission.
The commission had up to six months after the provisional appointments to hold tests for the jobs.
For vacant city civil service jobs, the mayor must hire someone who passes the test and finishes in the top 10, according to commission rules. If a person in the top 10 declines the job, the mayor can also consider the 11th place finisher on the test, and so on if others in the top 10 turn down the position.
If Miasek and/or Johnson score below 70 on the tests, Williams would have to hire someone using the method for vacant civil service jobs, according to the commission.
The qualifications
The deputy finance director position pays $74,498.84 annually. Applicants should have a bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, accounting, finance or a related field and have thorough public finance administration experience.
Miasek had more than 11 years of experience working in executive government budgeting for Connecticut before being hired Jan. 3 to be Youngstown's deputy finance director. Miasek has a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's degree in public administration.
Johnson's position pays $61,848.54 a year. Applicants should have a bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration or a related field and have thorough experience in administrative work in a public or private organization.
Other experience
Before working for the city, Johnson had 12 years of management and customer service experience in the banking industry and as managing partner and executive officer for the Northeast Adolescent Center. He also spent nearly eight years as a member of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District board of directors. Johnson has a bachelor's degree in finance.
The city's civil service commission is accepting applications for tests for the two position at its office on the seventh floor of city hall through June 15.
The June 17 test will be given at 10 a.m. at the Choffin Career and Technical Center on East Wood Street.
Williams has yet to announce a decision on filling the city's Community Development Agency director job. A civil service test was administered Oct. 1, 2005, and Williams interviewed the top 10 finishers.
Williams resigned the position in April 2005 to run for mayor. Since then, Mary June Tartan, who has worked at the agency for about nine years, has served as CDA's acting director.
skolnick@vindy.com