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New Youngstown administrator knows city government
YOUNGSTOWN
The city’s next Civil Service Commission administrator is familiar with city government, having spent the past five years as executive director of the Youngstown Human Relations Commission.
The three-member Civil Service Commission met Tuesday with Mayor Charles Sammarone to make a final decision on whom to hire for the administrator job among the four finalists.
The members and Sammarone were unanimous in choosing Jonathan M. Huff, said James Messenger, head of the commission’s board.
“We had very good candidates,” Messenger said. “We determined [Huff] is the best candidate for our needs.”
Sammarone said Huff stood out because of his people skills and his ability to work well with city department heads.
“He has the experience to do the job,” Sammarone said.
Huff is an employee of Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League who’s served since 2007 as executive director of the city’s Human Relations Commission through a contract the city has with the organization.
The administrator job pays $57,666 annually.
“It’s a great opportunity for me and a good fit,” Huff said. “I like working with people. I’m very excited about this opportunity.”
Huff said Aug. 27 will be his first day as Civil Service Commission administrator.
The city will retain its HRC contract with the Urban League, which will find a replacement for Huff, Sammarone said.
Overall, 29 people applied for the civil-service job with the commission ruling that 12 of them did not meet the qualifications for the position.
Rather than give a written exam, the commission scored candidates based on their experience and education — an option permitted under state law and typically how the commission has selected candidates for management-level positions in recent years.
The three other finalists were: Martha Kane, the city’s human resources supervisor since 2008; Jennifer Jones, program coordinator for the city’s litter control and recycling division since 2009; and Kim F. Akins, a lawyer since 1991 and an instructor at National College in Youngstown since 2009.
The position opened in May when Jennifer J. Lewis, who held the job for 11 years, resigned to be the manager of processing employee records at Youngstown State University.