Pondering the imponderables
We’ve wondered why an 11 year position at the cost of $80,000 (including benefits) per year (Pat Dressman) was replaced by a newly created part time position of 100 hours per month at $15.72 per hour (Katie Tallon) back in April; and now Ms. Dressman has been re-hired for another newly created position of 100 hours maximum at $34.93 per hour after her failed political pursuit (which is why she retired(?) so as to not violate the Hatch Act in the first place).
This type of thing just smells bad.
Congratulations to Commissioner Ken Rechtin for taking the right position on this issue.
Job creation and hiring hanky panky however is not limited to the Fiscal Court.
July 8, 2010
After election loss, Dressman goes back to work part-time
By Kevin Kelly : kkelly@nky.com
ALEXANDRIA - No longer a candidate for a Kenton County commissioner's seat, Pat Dressman has been re-hired by her former employer.
Campbell County Fiscal Court voted 2-1 Wednesday to create a part-time human services manager position and hire Dressman to fill it.
Dressman had been the county's human services director for 11 years when she retired in March so she could continue running for 2nd District Kenton County Commissioner. She lost in the May Republican primary.
"We're delighted to have her back," Campbell County Judge-executive Steve Pendery said. "It will be a very good thing for the community."
The hiring drew some resistance.
Commissioner Ken Rechtin voted against the resolution that created the new job and the motion to hire Dressman without advertising the opening first. He noted his objections were about the process and not the quality of Dressman's past work.
"There's a 10 percent unemployment rate out there," Rechtin said. "We should be throwing a net out and seeing what's available. If we're going to create this position, we should create it and then go out and search for the person to fill it, if there's a need for this position."
County Administrator Robert Horine characterized it as a unique situation and a unique opportunity for the county to meet its needs.
"I can't imagine that there would be anybody else out there on a part-time basis that I would be willing to recommend to do this job," Horine said. "If the Fiscal Court said, well, what's our alternative to appointing Pat to this position? My recommendation would be that we begin the process to refill the director's position. And we certainly would do that through an advertisement and all of that."
When Dressman retired, the county held off hiring a replacement as a cost-saving strategy.
It instead created a part-time position for a human services specialist and promoted an intern to fill that role. Staff at the Campbell County Senior Center also was asked to take the lead for all activities at the center.
"For the most part that's worked out pretty well," Horine said. "But we realize we're lacking the person in our organization who really has a lot of experience and expertise developed over time of human services programs and activities."
As the county's human services director, Dressman oversaw the Senior Center, which receives federal funds through the Northern Kentucky Area Development District via the state, and all of the Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Aging funding that comes from a payroll tax. About 40 agencies receive some money derived from the tax.
"This is a person that we've entrusted the responsibility to recommend to us and we take the recommendation without any quarrel or change every year," Pendery said. "She distributes all of our money out of some pretty considerable funds to support senior citizens, mental health and mental retardation.
"I don't know that there's anybody in Northern Kentucky that is qualified to do that the way Pat is."
Rechtin responded, "We won't know either."
In her new job, Dressman will work on an as-needed basis and put in no more than 100 hours each month.
"I'll still be doing a lot with the Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Aging," she said. "It will be more or less like consulting and showing Katie (Tallon, human services specialist) how to do things and working with her in solving some of the issues that are still there when you have $2.1 million in funding. Kind of teach her how to do that entire piece of it with monitoring the agencies and being the liaison for the county."
Dressman's new job with the county pays $34.93 per hour. It does not include benefits.
"As a longtime employer, when you find a good employee you try to keep them," Pendery said. "I know the unemployment rate is high. But it's invaluable to know that you've got somebody that can fill a position not only adequately but superlatively."
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Source:
http://nky.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20100708/NEWS0108/7090345/
