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November 21, 2009

Qualifications questioned for past hires

By Aleasha Sandley, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer The Herald Bulletin Sat Nov 21, 2009, 10:48 AM EST

ANDERSON — Among city workers hired since Mayor Kris Ockomon took office in January 2008 are some who worked on his mayoral campaign in 2007.

Ockomon maintained the appointments were not political payback.

Fire department receptionist Kristie Binda worked on Ockomon’s campaign before she was hired in January 2008, and police department analyst Regina Leonard was given a $16,000 raise after Ockomon took office. Leonard’s husband, Ed Leonard, a police chief under former Anderson Mayor Mark Lawler, worked on Ockomon’s campaign.

City Personnel Director Steve Priser said Leonard’s raise came after she took on “extensive” new responsibilities in the police department when her job description changed. Leonard’s new responsibilities include serving as administrative manager for the police department, overseeing personnel and scheduling department functions to promote public safety. Leonard also is expected to implement long-range plans for crime reduction and serve as a liaison to the public, according to a city document outlining her job description.

“That wasn’t a political raise,” Priser said.

Anderson’s current personnel policy states that “the city is committed to recruitment practices that draw from all geographic areas and types of people. Recruitment will be conducted in an affirmative manner to insure open and fair competition. ... The city intends to hire the most qualified candidate available.”

Critics howled when two others — Fred Reese and Larry Russell — who actively campaigned for Ockomon in 2007, were hired as city department heads in 2008.

Reese was named superintendent of the Parks and Recreation Department, despite his lack of formal training and schooling in that discipline. Reese, who did have experience volunteering at the Geater Center, was sent to parks and recreation training classes after he was appointed.

After Russell was appointed by Ockomon to manage the city’s animal shelter, animal rights activist Maleah Stringer and others complained that there had been no formal interviews of candidates. Russell was later removed from the position, and Stringer now runs the animal shelter on a city contract.

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City Hiring

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November 21, 2009 5 Photos 4 Links
City Hiring: Campaign workers hired for city jobs ANDERSON — Among city workers hired since Mayor Kris Ockomon took office in January 2008 are some who worked on his mayoral campaign in 2007. Ockomon maintained the appointments were not political payback. Fire department receptionist Kristie Binda worked on Ockomon’s campaign before she was hired in January 2008, and police department analyst Regina Leonard was given a $16,000 raise after Ockomon took office.
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November 21, 2009 4 Photos 4 Links
Special report on city hiring practices Read The Herald Bulletin on Sunday for an in-depth report on the practice of hiring family members in Anderson city government.
November 20, 2009
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November 20, 2009
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