CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – Clarion County Commissioners were facing some adversity with the loss of three key employees during the last month, but now feel they had an early Christmas with the hiring of three new replacements with exceptional resumes.

“First, Heather Slater, our chief clerk, resigned to take another position,” said Commissioner Ted Tharan at Tuesday morning’s meeting. “Then, Bobby Smith ‘king of the courthouse’ retired. Ron Wolbert, the 911 director, also resigned to take another position. I wish all three of them well as they bettered themselves with new positions and or retirement. Out of that adversity, comes some good news.”

Tharan and Commissioner Ed Heasley presented the three new employees who were later confirmed at a meeting of the salary board.  All three hires are replacements for vacant positions with new titles and duties.

Tharan’s comments on the new employee follow below:

Jeff Smathers — Public Safety Director

Starting December 27, Jeff Smathers will be joining us from the Mobilcom as our Public Safety Director, overseeing aspects like our 911 operating systems and operating emergency management. With over 36 years of experience in public safety in 20 years of experience in both management and in communications system planning and design, Jeff will refine and improve the experience that county residents have when utilizing our operating systems as our new public safety director. We’re looking forward to working with him.

Taylor Best — Confidential Administrative Assistant

Taylor Best comes to us from NT Concepts as an analyst and joins the county as our new Confidential Administrative Assistant. Taylor has a wonderful presence; she is a hard-working, detail-oriented professional with phenomenal marketing and communication skills. Her extensive education with her bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications, graduating Beta Gamma Sigma, the International Honor Society for Business, makes for a great asset to the county.

Razanna Thomas — Confidential Administrative Assistant

Razanna Thomas is a highly-educated and creative individual who joins the county as our Confidential Administrative Assistant. She will be filling a void by writing grants. Razanna has over 10 years of experience, assessing community needs and writing grants to fill gaps in funding. With a master’s degree in educational leadership, Razanna possesses great leadership qualities and peers that effortlessly with her strong communication skills. Razanna has innovative grant ideas that once implemented will make a profound impact in Clarion County.

The County Salary Board, comprised of Tharan, Heasley, and County Treasurer Tom McConnell, followed the commissioner’s meeting.

Smathers was hired as a full-time director of public services, an exempt employee at 35 hours a week at an annual salary of $45,000.00.  The board unanimously approved the hire.

The two confidential administrate assistants, Taylor Best and Razanna Thomas, were hired full-time, non-exempt, at 35 hours per week at an annual salary of $29,400.00.  Tharan and Heasley voted to approve hiring, but McConnell voted “no.”

”The ‘no’ wasn’t because of the salaries or even the hires,” said McConnell.  “When you look at the salaries of different department heads and people that have a lot of experience and time served—there’s a department head working here for several years—is making less than that, and there’s one that has been here for 20 years that is making a little more, and there are two deputy directors—one’s been here for over 10 and one over 20 years—and they both make less.  I’m not saying that these two (Best and Thomas) should make less, but there’s a kind of an inconsistency how we assign salaries for new hires and how people with experience or term of service here—how their salaries are determined.”

Both Best and Thomas will also be trained for chief clerk duties in addition to their expanded duties.

Although McConnell also voted “no” against a motion to transfer Arloue Galan to GIS/Assessment Office as an assessment clerk, Tharan and Heasley approved the transfer for the 35-hour per week position at an annual salary of $25,118.00.

“I have no problem with assessment getting a new person, I just voted no because there are offices that were really benefiting from the floater position and the position is no longer there leaving a void and leaving these offices without the extra help they were getting.”