Board Again Rejects Proposal to Transfer Hiring Authority From the Executive Director to the Board
Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority (GMHA) - 4/29/2025
Meeting Info: Special Meeting on April 29, 2025 at 4:00 pm (EST) in the Conference Room at Murray Manor at 385 Center Street, Chardon, OH 44024. This meeting was in-person only and was called by Mr. Claypool and Mr. Petruziello for the purposes of discussing changes to the policy manual and considering the employment, compensation, discipline, or promotion of a public employee.
Agenda: An agenda was emailed in advance.
Call to Order - 4:03 pm
Attendance: Vice Chair Susan Kemerrer and Board members Walter Claypool, Michael Petruziello and Sandy Grassman were present. Chair Jeff Markley arrived late but before any actions were taken.
Staff Attendance: Dawn Farrell, Executive Director; Carrie Carlson, Chief Financial Officer; and Todd Peterson, Legal Counsel.
Others Present: This Observer.
Observer Note: The Executive Director indicated they were recording the audio of the meeting.
Pledge of Allegiance - Recited
Observer Note: GMHA has recently filled several open maintenance positions and is actively working to hire a Maintenance Manager. There has been sharp disagreement about the board’s role in hiring decisions, as noted in the 4/15/2025 regular meeting. The LWVG Observer Report for this meeting described Mr. Markley’s summary of the situation as follows:
Following the executive session, at 7:20 pm, the board resumed the public meeting indicating there were no actions requiring board approval to be motioned. However the board chair, Mr. Markley, summarized content from the executive session. He reviewed the scope of the executive director’s authority, particularly regarding hiring decisions. A key point of clarification was that the hiring and management of all agency staff—except for the executive director—falls under the director’s authority. The board affirmed that its role does not include reviewing candidate resumes or participating in hiring decisions for staff members reporting to the director.
The board agreed that the executive director retains full discretion to hire, evaluate, and, if needed, terminate staff, while the board maintains oversight at the policy and strategic level. The director will continue to inform the board of new hires, but no board approval is required.
Additionally, the board acknowledged the need for an updated organizational chart. Multiple versions of the chart may exist, and a clean, current chart would support clarity in roles and reporting structures. The board requested that the executive director work with board member Ms. Grassman to prepare a single, accurate chart to be reviewed and approved at the next regular board meeting.
Mr. Claypool stated that he came away from the previous meeting with a different understanding and called the meeting to further discuss three changes to the policy manual:
Annual Review of Staffing Plan - APPROVED 5-0, following much discussion of this proposed language:
A staffing and hiring plan shall be created by the director and reviewed at the 1st annual meeting. The plan will clearly inform the board regarding staffing that supports GMHA objectives. The plan will be reviewed by the board at least twice a year. The plan should include open positions and the planned approach to fill those positions. The plan should include the use of part-time, full-time and outside contracts that ensure a complete blended approach to ensuring delivery of GMHA services. The plan will be updated as needed to adjust for changing needs.
Observer Note: Ms. Kemmerer indicated she and Director Farrell are working together to update the organization chart, as instructed by the board during the previous meeting.
Board Input on Hiring Decisions - TABLED 4-1, following sharp disagreement among board members over this proposed language and a warning by legal counsel that taking on hiring decisions may open the board to increased liability.
The director shall advise the board in advance of the intent to hire (a) new employee(s). If a new hire reports to the director, then the board shall be provided with a summary of the position being filled, a list of candidates, and a case (justification) for the recommended candidate, prior to an offer being made. Job descriptions and resumes will be provided to the board in a timely fashion. The board may choose to be more directly involved based on the situation. The director will schedule and conduct interviews as necessary providing full ongoing awareness of the board.
Mr. Claypool and Mr. Petruziello questioned the ability of staff to effectively evaluate candidates and make hiring decisions. They stated their experience is valuable to the decision-making process and that having board input before a hiring decision could prevent the wrong person from being hired. They asserted the board’s involvement in hiring is a support mechanism for the executive director, saying that accountability for poor hiring decisions would be shared by the Board.
The remaining board members appeared visibly irritated that a special meeting had been called to reconsider an item they considered to be settled. Mr. Markley, Ms. Kemmerer and Ms. Grassman argued against blurring the line between governance and management, asserting that hiring is part of day-to-day operations and should remain the executive director’s responsibility as specified in the governing documents.
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Ms. Grassman stated, “I remain against the policy and I’m going to agree with Todd (Peterson, Legal Counsel). I’m not sure why we’ve been sitting here for an hour discussing what we agreed upon at the last meeting.”
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Mr. Markley commented, “I just don’t want to put that onus on this board to micromanage the day-to-day hiring operations of this organization... I would vote no on any policy change that puts that power back to this board because it’s just not appropriate.”
Virtual Participation - TABLED, 5-0 pending further research by legal counsel.
Public Comment: This observer inquired:
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Whether GMHA carries director & officers’ liability insurance. Ms. Farrell indicated they do.
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What the mechanism is for calling Special Meetings. Per Mr. Markley, any two members may together call a special meeting, as specified in the bylaws.
Executive Session - The board entered into executive session, pursuant to Ohio Revised Code (ORC) under 121.22(G)(1) for the employment, compensation, discipline, or promotion of a public employee. Following the executive session, at 5:49 pm, the board resumed the public meeting and indicated no actions would be taken.
The meeting adjourned at 5:55 pm.
Next Meeting: May 20, 2025 at 4:00 pm at Murray Manor.
More information about the Geauga Metropolitan Housing Authority can be found here.
Observer: Shelly Lewis
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Date Submitted: 4/30/25
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