The township is hoping to quickly fill its vacant finance director position.
The position became vacant in mid-January, when former finance director Karmen Krueger announced she would be leaving the township, effective Feb. 9.
Mayor Neil Driscoll told the Wellington Advertiser in a telephone interview on Feb. 16 that council has authorized CAO Manny Baron to offer the position to another top applicant interviewed when Krueger was hired last summer.
The mayor said two previous applicants have already been contacted.
Although council held a closed session to discuss two confidential reports from the CAO at the Feb. 13 council meeting, Driscoll said the decision on the process for hiring a new finance director “didn’t happen in closed session.”
He said Baron did update council on his preferred approach to go back to previous applicants during the session.
Driscoll said the township obtained advice from Wellington County’s human resources department and county treasurer Ken DeHart, who assisted Mapleton in the process that led to Krueger’s hiring.
“They suggested … you had some strong candidates that were second and third. Why don’t you contact them and see what they’re doing?” Driscoll explained.
“Honesty, why go through the hiring process again if there were good candidates that might be interested in coming to Mapleton?”
Council also held a special meeting in closed session prior to the regular meeting on Feb. 13.
That meeting was held in camera under Municipal Act provisions allowing closed education and training sessions.
Driscoll said the session was held in regard to the township’s plans to enhance wastewater capacity in an effort to end a long-standing development freeze.
“It was just to get some education on what we were doing as far as our capacity upgrades,” said Driscoll.
“We want everyone to be on the same page.”
