Dang, I knew I should have quit my job so I could attend council meetings. Last Tuesday's council meeting ended with a shouting match over the fiscal assistant clerk's job that was given to Kara Chevront.
From accounts in both our local papers yesterday and today it appears the mayor told Nancy Murray she had the job and even gave her a starting date. It also appears that council members did an "end around" play on the mayor and picked one of the other applicants which was Ms. Chevront. It's also abundantly clear that there was a serious lack of communication between the mayor and those council members that voted for the winning applicant. Not only did it make everyone look like fools it was a great disservice to Ms. Murray. Nice job people!
When that job was created the mayor was given the authority to hire Ms. Chevront's predecessor. Apparently Joe was operating under the assumption that it would be the same. I can't fault the mayor for this if he was not made aware that certain council members had other thoughts on the matter. That's where the miscommunication comes into play. However, I do feel that the mayor should have told Ms. Murray that the decision was taken out of his hands and there was a possibility that someone else might get the job. I feel that Joe didn't consider this possibility since Ms. Murray is a village resident. Soldano tried to fluff that off saying Ms. Chevront had a Wellsville address. The only Chevront I could find in three different phone books with a Wellsville address was one with a Route 45 - Madison Twp. address. That's out in the red brick church vicinity.
The only thing I read that I could agree with about the whole thing was Randy Allmon's reason for voting against the selection. He said he wasn't given the oppurtunity to see the resume before it was brought up for voting. What's up with that? That made it dirty politics.
So now the line has been drawn in the sand. Matt Stewart said it's a game played with knives. There definitely appears that some back-stabbing took place and the power plays have begun. As history repeats itself I doubt it will be the last skirmish we'll witness.
Although a few of days late maybe Surace should have been aware of the Ides of March...
ole nib
5 comments:
You need to get your facts straight ole nib. Mayor Surace promised that job to 3 people, not just the Murray woman. He has no right going around promising positions. First off the position of assistant clerk is a union position, not an administrative position. The fiscal officer along with personnel committee members should be the ones to hire for a full time union position, not the mayor. The mayor only makes appointments with councils' approval for administrative positions and members serving on a board of some type. You would fare well to read the Ohio Revised Code some time.
holdup - Maybe you should broaden your horizons. In today's MJ Surace was quoted as saying "that he only offered the position to one person instead of three as reported..." Can you prove otherwise?
I wasn't arguing who had the authority to do the hiring. I was expressing my dismay on the under handed way it was done. I got the feeling that whoever engineered that move had other motives instead of what's best for the village. I have nothing against either candidate. There was no information released on their qualifications.
Did that engineer inform the mayor of his/her intentions? It sure don't sound like it to me.
ole nib
He asked the current sewage clerk if she wanted the position in which she said yes. He also promised a well known family in this town, to give the position to their daughter who currently works at a bank. Ask around, you'll find the truth. Come on Ole Nib, we know you like the guy and he is personable to say the least, but he goes around making promises he should not. As far as MS Consultants, it was Surace who brought them to this village. You ask any council member who was around for the idea of converting McDonald school into a village hall and they'll tell you who introduced the village of Wellsville to MS Consultants.
One lives on Broadway, one lives on 17th ST. and one lives on 10th ST. Take it to the bank, 3 people were promised the same job. A job the law said Surace had no right do be invvolved with.
The so-called engineer you are speaking of did, in fact, tell the mayor that the personnel committee was advised by the village solicitor that it is not the mayor's place to hire for that position. Some council people do their jobs correctly. They take the time to research the law and get legal opinions from the solicitor. Maybe the mayor should try this sometime.
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