Mental Health Headache for County Commissioners
“This just kinda feels like somebody sliding their homework under the door a little bit, trying to pull a fast one with very little fanfare.” – Tim Lennon
Geauga County Commissioner Ralph Spidalieri condemned a new contract for Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services CEO Jim Adams as a “bad deal” for the county at the Sept. 5 commissioners meeting.
Spidalieri, who went to-toe-to with Adams in 2014 over a contract issued in 2013, accused Adams of taking advantage of commissioners, who had yet to fill two vacancies on the MHRS board when it approved a new five-year contract for Adams at its meeting Aug. 21.
“I have a lot of issues with this,” Spidalieri said. “It’s disheartening to me because this is the second time around that this is being pulled, and it just is not good.”
County commissioners have appointing power over six seats on the board, while eight are appointed by the state.
Commissioner Tim Lennon said he did not want to argue if someone is worth their compensation or not, but expressed frustration with the new contract being presented when commissioners hadn’t yet filled all six of their seats, meaning the wishes of the commissioners were not adequately represented.
“This just kinda feels like somebody sliding their homework under the door a little bit, trying to pull a fast one with very little fanfare,” Lennon said. “Is it legal? I don’t know. Is it transparent? No.”
Lennon also said the contract did not appear on the agenda issued before the meeting.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Adams said a committee was formed last year to present a contract to the board.
“I had nothing to do with when the contract goes to the board at all, so that’s completely wrong,” he said, adding the contract was considered under the “old business” section of the board’s standard agenda.
Adams also noted only one of the board members appointed by commissioners — Mike Petruziello — voted against his contract. Two of the appointees, Jimmy Lee Holden and Steven Oluic, abstained. A third appointee, Jeff Kline, was absent.
In addition, Adams pointed out commissioners knew about their responsibility to fill open seats on the board since May.
At the Sept. 5 commissioners meeting, Spidalieri said he has been told Adams, who is an employee of the MRHS board, sends recommendations to the state, which appoints board members who will “protect” his position. He contrasted that with the position of elected officials, who are accountable to voters.
“So at the end of the day, who is (Adams) accountable to? Nobody,” Spidalieri said. “And it’s terrible. It’s a bad deal. A bad deal.”
Adams called Spidalieri’s accusations blatantly false.
“Of the board members from state appointments, I didn’t even know most of them before they were appointed,” said Adams. “Anybody that asks to be appointed, I send to the state.”
A draft of Adams’s contract, made available by the commissioners’ office, shows an initial salary of $117,329.00 for 2019 and growing to $139,681 in 2023. It also entitles Adams to the use of an automobile, with all expenses paid by MRHS.
Other benefits in the contract include a $250,000 group life insurance policy and $2 million per occurrence of professional liability insurance and $4 million total coverage, all paid for by MRHS, and the right to publish or utilize work product he created in his job.
At the Sep. 5 meeting, commissioners unanimously appointed Jennifer Malainey to the MRHS board.
Former Commissioner Walter “Skip” Claypool, who is currently running for Chester Township trustee, was appointed with yes votes from Lennon and Spidalieri. Commissioner Jim Dvorak voted no on Claypool’s appointment.
Spidalieri was especially critical of the presentation of a new contract while the MRHS board has a renewal levy on the November ballot.
“This is like a whole recycle of another outrageous amount of money. Fringe benefits that are above and beyond what everybody else in public service is doing,” Spidalieri told fellow commissioners. “Let me ask you, have we had any communication or any reach out to any of the board members as far as to get something together that we can actually sit down with them face to face?”
Adams once again disputed this account.
“I literally invited each of them to meet with me individually to talk about these issues,” Adams said Tuesday. “Only Jim Dvorak invited me to get together.”
Lennon said commissioners would continue to discuss the issue at future meetings.
