Greene County chief clerk retires, replacement appointed
WAYNESBURG – Greene County commissioners on Thursday accepted the retirement of the county’s longtime chief clerk and appointed his replacement. Gene Lee, who has served in the position for more than two decades, will retire Dec. 31 and will be replaced by Jeff Marshall, who is currently employed as director for the county’s emergency management services agency.
Marshall will be appointed to the new position effective Oct. 1 and will receive an annual salary of $54,000.
Commission Chairwoman Pam Snyder said Marshall would receive several months of training under Lee’s tutelage, which will provide “a nice transition” for Marshall when he assumes the chief clerk’s responsibilities in January.
According to county officials, the chief clerk’s responsibilities include keeping the books and accounts of the board of county commissioners, the salary board, and the pension board; recording and filing all proceedings and papers from meetings; attesting all orders and voucher checks issued by the county commissioners; and performing all other duties and coordinate all county operations with final authority coming from the commissioners.
The chief clerk also has the general authority to administer oaths and affirmations, pertaining to the business of the office of the county commissioners. County commissioners also have appointed the chief clerk to serve as the open records officer for the county, as well as the primary administrative point of contact in the case of county emergencies, crises, safety violations/concerns or any matters requiring immediate attention.
After accepting Lee’s resignation, Snyder and the board of commissioners thanked him for his years of service to the county.
“You have done an excellent job in serving the county and you will be missed,” Snyder said.
Lee said he has enjoyed his tenure as chief clerk and is looking forward to traveling and spending quality time with his family after retirement; he said he plans to continue serving the county as the weights and measures inspector on a part-time basis, which he has done since June 17.
The weights and measures director’s responsibilities include checking gasoline pumps and small commercial scales for accuracy, according to the county’s website.
Lee replaced Remo E. Bertugli, who died in May, at no additional cost to the county. Bertugli had served as inspector for nearly 20 years.
Snyder said Lee was appointed to fill that position until Dec. 31 on a temporary basis and the board will appoint a director for 2011 by the end of the year.
Born and raised in Greene County, Lee was appointed as chief clerk in 1989 following the death of the previous chief clerk, Herb Cox. Prior to that appointment, he was employed as a real estate agent.
Lee said he believes Marshall will serve the chief clerk position efficiently.
“I believe that Jeff will do a fine job, because he has been involved with county government for over 18 years,” he said.
Following his appointment, Marshall said he is looking forward to serving his new position.
“I know it will be a challenging task, and I am glad the commissioners have faith in me to do this job to the very best of my abilities,” he said.
Greg Leathers was appointed by commissioners Thursday to take over as county EMA director. Leathers will begin his new position effective Oct. 1 and will receive an annual salary of $35,750.
Leathers, who is currently employed as an operations training officer for the EMA department, will be required by state law to be certified in emergency management and will have a year to receive that certification, Marshall said.
In other business Thursday, the commissioners approved a consultant agreement with Diana T. Myers and Associates of Philadelphia to help address housing needs in the county.
The firm’s services will include helping the county to expand its affordable housing opportunities and options, especially for seniors and residents with disabilities.
Karen Bennett, director of Greene County Human Services, said the firm will assist the county in numerous services, such as identifying housing priorities, targeting available resources, designing and initiating development projects, addressing types of housing that is needed, identifying partners to submit applications for funding, and identifying and selecting appropriate housing development sites.
Bennett said obtaining housing grants “is a very complicated process, and we need someone with expertise to help us.”
The consulting firm will receive a payment of $25,000 for their services, which will be paid for through county human services funding. The firm will have until the end of June 2011 to fulfill its obligations to the agreement, officials said.
Snyder said the county has been trying to “get aggressive” in addressing housing issues and concerns in the county, which is why the agreement will be beneficial to the county.
“There is a lot of money out there for housing, and we hope that with Diana’s expertise we’ll be able to tap into some of that funding,” she said. “She has a wealth of knowledge.”
In other matters, the commissioners proclaimed the week of Sept. 19-25 Employ Older Workers Week in Greene County. The proclamation recognizes the important role older workers play in the current and future work forces and notes that 26.5 percent of Pennsylvania’s population is age 55 or older and that nearly 60 percent of those residents are employed.
Officials said the Senior Community Service program of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging promotes the benefits of employing older workers and provides training opportunities for older people who meet income guidelines.