Niles Council angry at mayor over hiring

January 5, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

NILES

Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia and his administration failed to follow city hiring policies by telling a job applicant for a meter reading position she was hired even though the job was still being posted. The mayor’s admission immediately drew the wrath of city council.

“The problem is with this administration,” complained Steve Mientkiewicz, D-2nd. “We expect postings to stay open in a timely manner.”

The issue first came to light during the public comments portion of Wednesday’s council meeting when a resident, Paul Davis, who said he was an applicant, wondered how the position already could be filled.

The mayor said the candidate had been interviewed, despite the active posting.

“I didn’t know the dates,” Scarnecchia said to the collective groans of spectators and several council members.

The city’s hiring policies require job availabilities be made available to city union employees. If none are interested, as apparently was the case with the meter-reader position, the job is posted for the public. However, according to council President Robert Marino, the posting occurred only after Mientkiewicz wondered why there had not been one.

The job is to remain posted through this Friday. Interviews are not supposed to take place until the posting timeline is completed.

At first, Scarnecchia tried to argue that no one was hired, but backtracked after being grilled by Ryan McNaughton, D-at large, who demanded to know what the mayor said to the woman he had interviewed.

“She was told she was hired,” Scarnecchia admitted.

The mayor said he, Safety Service Director James DePasquale and a department head interviewed the applicant.

The mayor had not been at work the remainder of last week due to illness.

Council members have consistently stated that the city’s best efforts to get out from under its fiscal emergency designation will be achieved through a transparent government.

“Now we look like fools,” complained Linda Marchese, D-3rd.

Marino said council is not about to let this issue slide. He instructed council finance Chairman Barry Steffey and city Law Director Terry Dull to “investigate and report back to council.”

The hiring issue overshadowed emotional appeals earlier in the meeting for the city to do whatever it can to try to stop reopening of a deep injection well in Weathersfield Township, which was believed responsible for several earthquakes before being shut down two years ago by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Last month, a Franklin County judge ordered the state to allow it to reopen.

The state has given ODNR authority over injection well permits and the city has no say in the matter.

“There’s nothing we can do to stop them,” Dull said.