Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RICHARD JENKINS
Hurley — While the Iron County Human Services Board picked a candidate to offer the position of Aging and Disability Resource Center branch manager/aging manager on Wednesday, it made it clear Mark Marczak isn’t going anywhere.
The Iron County Board of Supervisors voted last December to merge the Iron County Aging Unit and ADRC. According to information presented at the meeting, Marczak was missing a specific certification needed to oversee the ADRC portion of the job, hence the primary reason for the hiring of the additional person.
Board members said they were contacted by numerous residents concerned about seeing the position advertised, and that even they weren’t sure about whether Marczak was leaving.
Everyone agreed he was working out incredibly well.
“He’s fixing so many bad things down there right now, and putting things together, I can’t see us getting rid of him,” county board chair Joe Pinardi, of Hurley, said. Several board members also praised Marczak’s performance.
The board voted to offer Lisa Lavasseur the ADRC position Wednesday, but Iron County Human Services Department Director Cally Kilger told the Daily Globe following the meeting the hiring was a division of responsibilities instead of a replacement.
Kilger said she hopes to hear from Lavasseur shortly regarding whether she accepts the county’s offer.
As the branch manager, Lavasseur will oversee the county’s ADRC. Kilger said she will also be responsible for administrative duties at the aging unit, while Marczak continues to be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations at the aging unit.
Under the division of labor, “Mark can be creative, and do all of his programs and expand services and all of that,” Kilger said.
Marczak’s new job title is still being determined.
During the meeting, the board had nothing but praise for Marczak and the job he has done since taking over the aging unit manager position in March.
The hiring of an ADRC branch manager/aging manager isn’t the only recent employment decision the board has made.
It was reported at Tuesday’s county board meeting the Human Services Department’s programming manager, Diane Schmidtke, has been hired as the department’s financial manager.
Schmidtke replaces Mary Tijan, who is facing seven charges in connection with more than $185,000 that authorities say Tijan illegally obtained while working in the department.