City rehires retiree

The returning worker says she’s a ‘bargain.’

By DAVID SKOLNICK

CITY HALL REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — The city has rehired a recently retired economic development office employee for the same post she held for more than 28 years.

Kathleen Timlin-Wiley finished third among 18 who took the civil service test for the position she left Dec. 1. Everyone who took the test passed it.

Mayor Jay Williams rehired Timlin-Wiley as the economic development office’s monitor and compliance coordinator, effective Feb. 13.

She is making $21.52 an hour, but for a maximum of 24 hours a week. That works out to $26,863 annually. She will not receive any health care benefits from the city in the part-time position.

Timlin-Wiley made $21.3082 an hour last year; $44,321 in annual salary working full-time, according to the city’s finance department. Williams said her salary should have remained the same — $21.30 an hour — and that a mathematical error probably occurred that increased the pay. The mayor said the salary will be corrected.

Timlin-Wiley accepted the city’s early-retirement incentive with the city spending $29,882 to buy two years of her state Public Employees Retirement time, and received $5,329 from the city as severance for unused sick time and other accumulated time.

Williams said people could look at the rehiring as “double dipping,” but the decision is perfectly legal and the city benefits by having someone with a great deal of experience handling the job at a reduced annual pay rate and without health care benefits.

“Our costs are significantly reduced,” he said.

Timlin-Wiley said everything was done “above board. I took the test, which I was eligible to do.”

When she retired, Timlin-Wiley said she intended to return to work for the city if she scored well on the written civil service test.

“It’s a good fit for me and the city,” Timlin-Wiley said. “I’m a bargain. I’m an hourly-rate employee with no [health] benefits to the city.”

The job calls for Timlin-Wiley to oversee companies that receive city funding to make sure they are following city requirements for hirings and improvement work.

Of the 55 city employees who took the early-retirement buyouts so far — the deadline to accept the buyout is March 31 — Timlin-Wiley is the only one to return to work for the city.

She may be followed shortly by Carmen S. Conglose Jr.

Williams said he expects to make a decision in about two weeks to hire Conglose, the former head of the public works department, as the traffic coordinator. The position is part-time and pays up to $42,577 annually with no medical benefits.

Unlike monitor and compliance coordinator, traffic coordinator doesn’t require a written civil service test. Instead, Conglose and three others who applied for the job are evaluated by city officials with Williams making the final decision.

Williams urged Conglose to seek the job. Conglose is bothered that the Civil Service Commission didn’t waive the review and evaluation process and just recommend him to the mayor for the job.

In an unrelated matter, city council’s park and recreation committee will meet at 3:30 p.m. Monday to discuss the salary of the park and recreation director.

The city administration wants to reduce that annual salary from $70,794 to $57,000 as a way to save money. Some council members — most notably Annie Gillam, D-1st, and Janet Tarpley, D-6th — recently expressed concern that the salary was too low.

Joseph R. McRae abruptly retired as director in May 2007 after the park and recreation board met behind closed doors to discuss a disciplinary matter related to him.

Tiffany Chavers, the commission’s administrative assistant, filed a lawsuit last month against McRae and the city. She is accusing the former director of exposing himself to her and other inappropriate sexual conduct at least six times while riding in a city vehicle. McRae served as director for eight years and previously spent a decade as the city’s athletic director.

Since McRae retired, Jason Whitehead, the mayor’s chief of staff/secretary, has served as interim park and recreation director.

skolnick@vindy.com