Boards push county administrator to broaden commissioner job description to cover public and mental health integration

Members of the Tompkins County Community Services Board reviewed recent committee work on a proposed county commissioner job description that would integrate public health and mental health leadership and urged county staff to ensure the posting does not restrict the candidate pool by relying solely on public-health minimum qualifications.

Board members described a job-description committee that met repeatedly and drafted a summary statement and proposed edits. Committee members said they had met with the Board of Health leadership and with Jeremy (county staff) to explain that the combined leadership role should allow qualified candidates with substantial mental-health management experience to be considered, not only applicants who meet a narrow public-health credentialing minimum. Howard (committee member) summarized the committee's concern: they did not want a posting that effectively excluded otherwise qualified mental-health leaders.

Board members said the county administrator indicated HR and county staff are reviewing the posting and that civil service and state licensing constraints complicate wording. The board requested the county administrator and HR consult state authorities if necessary to determine whether minimum qualifications could be broadened or whether a waiver or other approach would be required. "If there's any question as to what the minimum could have to be, then they would have to go to the state," one participant said.

Committee members and the Board of Health reported alignment on the central point that the position should be conceived as an integrated leadership role rather than as a narrowly defined public health manager. The committee will meet again to finalize the lines that it considers essential to include once county staff circulate the administrator's revised posting. Board members discussed contacting county legislators to raise the same concerns and agreed there is a continuing need to review the county's draft quickly when it is circulated.

At the end of the public discussion the board voted to go into an executive session to discuss a candidate; the motion carried and the meeting moved to closed session.