City retiree to begin new part-time post
The retire-rehires aren’t receiving ‘sweetheart deals,’ the mayor says.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN — Although he found going through a civil service process for the city’s traffic coordinator position insulting, the recently retired deputy director of public works starts working the part-time job that pays up to $42,576.96 annually on Monday.
Carmen S. Conglose Jr. becomes the second city employee who took an early-retirement incentive to be rehired.
Mayor Jay Williams makes no apologies about the rehiring of Conglose and Kathleen Timlin-Wiley, saying the city gains invaluable experience from longtime employees at a discounted rate.
“We’re doing what’s best for the city both economically and from an experience standpoint,” he said. “... There’s no sweetheart deals here.”
Both return to the city without health-care benefits.
Conglose retired Dec. 31 from the city as deputy director of public works. Williams personally asked Conglose to return to the city to serve as its traffic coordinator.
Conglose served in the coordinator position for eight years before his appointment to run the public works department in 1997.
Conglose’s salary last year was $93,132. His pension is about $60,000 annually and he received $54,246 from the city as severance for unused sick time and other accumulated time. The city spent $65,626 to buy two years of his state Public Employees Retirement time as part of its early-retirement program.
Because of his service to the city, Conglose wanted the city’s civil service commission to allow the mayor to hire him without first considering other potential applicants.
The commission opted to not give a written test for the job. Instead, the commission chose to ask interested applicants to submit their qualifications.
Its members acknowledged that Conglose would get the job if he wanted it because he is the most qualified for it and because the mayor, who makes the final appointment, urged the retired city worker to seek the spot.
Conglose said the commission’s decision was a “slap in the face.”
Three others applied for the job, and the commission determined only Conglose and another — Paul Vaughn of Youngstown — were qualified.
Conglose recently started working for ES&C International doing engineering work. He will quit that job, Williams said.
The coordinator job handles planning, organizing and directing work related to the collection and analysis of traffic flow data, preparation of plans and recommendations for the operation of traffic routes, and determining where to place traffic signs.
Williams appointed Timlin-Wiley on Feb. 13 as the economic development officer’s monitor and compliance coordinator.
She will make up to $26,863 a year working the job three days a week. Timlin-Wiley earned $44,321 in annual salary working full time last year in the same job.
She finished third among 18 people who took a written civil service test for the job she held for more than 28 years before retiring. All 18 passed the test.
In the position, Timlin-Wiley oversees companies that receive city funding to make sure they are following city requirements for hirings and improvement work.
The city spent $29,882 to buy her two years of retirement time and paid her $5,329 as severance. She’ll make about $25,000 annually from her pension.
skolnick@vindy.com