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Trumbull commissioners expected to hire Pepper Pike man as county HR director
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
Trumbull County commissioners are likely to vote today or next week to hire Richard Jackson of Pepper Pike as county human resources director.
A committee consisting of Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa and several other people recommended Jackson from among 50 applicants.
Jackson is director of HR and risk management and assistant safety service director for the city of Elyria.
He has had the job since September 2012, having served as human resources director for the Stow-Munroe Falls school district from August 2009 to July 2012. He also was HR director for GED Integrated Solutions of Twinsburg, an automated machinery company, from February 2005 to July 2009, according to his resume.
Jackson, who has a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, worked as HR director for ALCOA of Cleveland from 1990 to 2005.
The committee that reviewed the candidates consists of Sarah Boyarko, vice president for economic development, business retention and expansion at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber; Cantalamessa; Atty. James Misocky, county projects administrator; and Howland Township Administrator Darlene St. George.
Cantalamessa said Jackson stood out because of his experience in HR in the public and private sectors, his experience in workers’ compensation, worker contracts and grievances.
Cantalamessa said he would “love” to hire someone from Trumbull County, but “it’s not bad to have someone from outside the area” to reduce the potential for the director’s friends and family to become part of the hiring process.
Having 50 applicants and a large number of good applicants made the job of selecting one difficult, Cantalamessa said.
The committee narrowed the group to five who were interviewed and three who were presented to the commissioners.
“Mr. Jackson was the unanimous top choice. He was a little above everybody else,” Cantalamessa said.
The committee was one of two formed after Commissioner Frank Fuda raised questions about the fairness of county hiring practices, saying it appeared that referrals by county commissioners were having too much influence on hiring decisions.
The other committee was formed to hire Robert Maiorano in July as controller for the sanitary engineer’s office.
The HR position became vacant with the retirement of longtime director James Keating earlier this summer. Jackson is expected to earn about the same amount as Keating – $80,297 annually.
Keating actually earned $102,245 in 2015 and $87,148 in 2014.
The total goes higher because of the amount of the employees’ pension that the county pays and because of an employee’s ability to get paid for unused sick and vacation time, the county auditor’s office said.