Loose the guilt trip Jon. How else are we suppose to fight back?

The first 2 posts have absolutely nothing to do with Issue 4. This levy is very necessary for the protection of children who cannot protect themself.

If you do not like an elected official, campaign strongly against them. Heck, run for the office, I am all for unseating current elected officials.

If you do not like a Commissioner's Appointee, take it to their weekly meetings, bring it out into the open. Call to complain.

Do not take it out on defenseless children.

Distribution of $771,934 flagged by state: Audit cites handling of Workforce funds; refers Smeiles votes to ethics unit
- - Comments - ShareThis
Mike Sever
July 1, 2009



By Mike Sever

Record-Courier staff writer

An audit of Portage County released Tuesday says $771,934 in federal Workforce Investment Act money was distributed without proper documentation in Portage County.

The report also referred votes by County Commissioner Chris Smeiles to the State Ethics Commission to determine if he voted improperly on issues that benefited his daughter.

The state audit, which cost Portage County $257,660, noted that Smeiles was a member of the Geauga, Ashtabula, Portage Partnership's Local Elected Officials Board when he voted to add the nursing school his daughter, Lisa, was attending to a list of approved schools. She was receiving WIA training funds totaling $12,387.

Smeiles also voted to increase the amount of training funds available to WIA recipients from $7,500 to $10,000, which ultimately benefited his daughter.

Smeiles defended his votes, as he did when the issue was raised last year.

"I voted with the legal advice and written opinion from the Portage County Prosecutor's Office, which is referenced in the audit," he said. "I have been advised by legal counsel that a conflict did not exist in this matter, but I understand that the audit process requires this referral."

Smeiles noted the state auditor's opinion states that a referral to the state ethics commission does not mean that a violation has occurred.

The 20-page management letter that accompanied the audit states that the GAPP and Portage Job and Family Services failed to have signed disclosure statements identifying potential areas of conflict of interest.

The letter notes that six WIA clients had familial relationships with county personnel: a daughter of Commissioner Chris Smeiles; an adult child of Becky Porcase, manager for Portage County One Stop; an adult child of Anita Herington, director of Portage JFS; an adult child of Charlene Badger, executive assistant to the county board of commissioners; an adult child of Lorie Hohman, a case manager at Portage One Stop; and an adult child of Melissa Click, an income maintenance worker for Portage JFS.

Also, the state auditor released the independent audit done for the GAPP Inc. That audit, reported on in April, said $151,069 in benefits was given to 18 people who may not have been income-eligible for the Portage WIA program, which is administered through the Portage County Department of Job & Family Services' One-Stop jobs office.

State Auditor Mary Taylor said, "It is imperative that complete and accurate information is maintained to document the proper use of public funds. These audits reveal that both Portage County and GAPP did not have the documentation necessary to support their use of federal funds. Unfortunately, this could jeopardize future grant funding."

The report says the GAPP, particularly Portage One Stop, was failing to do proper eligibility calculations. That caused amounts intended for low-income recipients to not be disbursed according to Workforce Investment Act requirements.

Since the money was provided by the U.S. Department of Labor, it will be up to the federal government to decide whether recovery will be sought for the disputed costs.

In the county audit, auditors questioned $428,640 in funds spent to pay education expenses and support.

Auditors also reviewed files of 62 participants through the county's WIA program and determined 49 of them did not have sufficient documentation to show they were eligible for more intensive services.

The total of questioned costs included $317,618 spent on advertising and public relations costs. Of that, the auditors said $261,203 in advertising costs "was not supported by adequate documentation to determine if the expense was allowable."

Another $42,415 was spent for promotional items ranging from laptop computers to golf tees and letter openers given to youth at two Youth Summit/Job Fairs in May 2006 and April 2007.

Auditors also questioned $14,000 in advertising costs for radio spots, banners, signs and ads including spots at Kent State University athletic arenas.

As part of that contract, the Portage County One Stop received four season tickets each to KSU football and basketball games as well as two tickets to Mid-American Conference basketball tournaments and two tickets to the KSU vs. Ohio State football game.

A spokesperson for the state auditor's office said the county could not provide a list of who got the tickets. County officials said the tickets were given out to participants at the job fairs.

In December, Lisa Smeiles voluntarily repaid the $11,939 grant she said she was awarded in 2006 to complete her college degree.

As to the difference between what his daughter repaid and the amount in the newest report, Smeiles said "my daughter paid back what the state JFS told us was the amount."

In conducting the Youth Summit/Job Fair, Leadership Portage County overcharged the GAPP $870 for facilities rental, gas cards and a gift certificate. Leadership repaid the overcharge during the course of the audit.

The county audit also recommended tighter internal financial controls in the Water Resources Department and to track capital assets such as equipment and furniture.

Anita Herington, director of the Portage County Department of Jobs and Family Services is a committee member. Why does that name sound familiar to me? Oh, here it is.

Portage will pay $297,000 in settlement: Former JFS worker sues over termination

Mike Sever
June 28, 2009

By Mike Sever
Record-Courier staff writer

Portage County's Department of Job and Family Services has reached a settlement with the former head of its child support enforcement agency.

The settlement pays Sylvia Strasshofer five years' worth of salary, retirement witholding and Medicare contributions totaling $297,000. The payments cover the period from her termination through Dec. 31, 2011, and will come out of the JFS budget and not from the county general fund, according to county officials.

Strasshofer was terminated on March 30, 2007 by JFS director Anita Herington.

In court documents, the attorney for the county JFS said Strasshofer "failed to demonstrate leadership and initiative that the CSEA deperately needed" and that she "lacked the qualities needed for effective action" to improve the agency's performance in relation to federal benchmarks and financial challenges.

Strasshofer challenged her termination and won a reversal from the Ohio State Personnel Board of Review.

That board followed the recommendation of Administrative Law Judge Elaine Stevenson. She heard from eight witnesses during nearly 15 hours of hearing over three days and concluded "the testimony and evidence in the record established that many of Dr. Herington's observations were inaccurate" and that "the majority of Dr. Herington's assertions in this case have not withstood close scrutiny."

The county department challenged that decision in Portage County Common Pleas Court. The case was proceeding toward trial when the settlement was filed in late April.

The county JFS argued that Strasshofer's dismissal by Herington was justified despite the state personnel board's reversal.

Strasshofer argued through her attorney that Herington was out to trap Strasshofer and that Herington issued unwarranted reprimands.

The attorney pointed to an e-mail from Anita Herington to her husband, Leigh Herington, titled "CATCH Sylvia." In it, Herington said to her husband she had to back off a reprimand because she had not sent a memo to Strashoffer as she thought. Her husband wrote back, advising that the "noose will tighten," according to court documents.

Strasshofer joined the Portage County JFS child support enforcement agency in 1996 after five years with the Geauga County agency. She was promoted to manager of the agency in February 2004.

Herington became the director of the Portage County JFS in January 2005.

Strasshofer waived any claim to health benefits, vacation leave, sick leave or any other compensation from the county.

As part of the settlement, the county JFS agrees to reinstate Strasshofer to the position of "consultant to the Director of PCDJFS" effective March 30, 2007. Portage JFS also will remove any reference to Strasshofer's termination from her personnel file.

Strasshofer will "provide advice and consultation to the Director ... at the request and direction of the Director."

Under the settlement terms, Herington and the county JFS cannot remove or reassign Strasshofer from her position as consultant, or fail to make the payments as provided in the settlement.