Commissioners make staffing moves, name new directors of county offices (UPDATE)

This story has been updated to correct Thomas Patrick III's hourly pay. Incorrect information was provided by Lorain County. ELYRIA — Lorain County commissioners made multiple staffing moves Tuesday, transferring, promoting and hiring three to fill director-level positions. David Blevins was transferred to director of Workforce Development after spending the last four years as director of the county Solid Waste Management District. He replaced Mike Longo, whom the board voted to fire Tuesday. Longo had been director of the county Workforce Development Agency for nearly 13 years. Christopher Cabot was hired as director of Lorain County Job & Family Services, at a rate of $71.39 per hour starting Feb. 18. He replaces Barb Tamas, who resigned the post effective Feb. 7 to take a job in the county Prosecutor's Office. Replacing Blevins as Solid Waste Management District director is Thomas Patrick III, county collection center coordinator/grant writing specialist for Solid Waste and formerly a project coordinator/supervisor with the Lorain County Port Authority. Patrick will make $38.24 per hour, according to board documents. Blevins formerly was vice chairman of the Lorain County Port Authority board of directors, and a member of numerous charitable and fraternal organization, the board said in a news release. "I'm looking forward to working with the staff and board members on identifying and addressing the needs of our local workforce and business community with an objective of increased productivity and competitiveness in the region," Blevins said in the news release. A graduate of Lorain County Community College, Berea College in Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky University, Patrick said in the county news release he was "very excited about this new opportunity" and promised to "maintain a fiscally conservative approach." A Lorain County resident for more than 20 years, Cabot has more than 30 years experience with the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services and said he was "elated" to start the job. A licensed social worker with degrees from Baldwin Wallace University and Cleveland State University, Cabot also volunteers as a special needs child mentor and a youth sports coach and official. "I am honored to be appointed to such a vital position within Lorain County and look forward to building upon the great work that is currently being done by the staff and leadership at Job and Family Services," Cabot said in the news release. "The services that JFS offers are so vitally important to many families and children within our community." Cabot added that "no child should ever have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, our senior citizens should be esteemed for their contributions and knowledge and parents must be financially responsible for their children while also being the best parents they can be." Former assistant county prosecutor and board legal counsel Dan Petticord, whom commissioners hired Jan. 14 to help create a "shared services model" for greater efficiency in county government, also was transferred to Lorain County Job and Family Services by board action on Tuesday. Petticord said he expects his role there will be helping Cabot with his transition and also to continue working on the shared services model. As an assistant prosecutor, he previously represented JFS in legal matters. An attorney since 2000, Tamas will work in Prosecutor Tony Cillo's Civil Division with a focus on Lorain County's townships. In the county news release, Cillo said he was "thrilled to have such a seasoned prosecutor join my team, especially with her thorough understanding of the townships and township issues." Tamas was JFS director from December 2017 to January 2021 when she was fired and replaced by Tim Carrion. Then-commissioner Matt Lundy, a Democrat, voted against firing Tamas and hiring Carrion, but newly elected Republican commissioners David Moore and Michelle Hung outvoted him 2-1. Commissioners brought Tamas back in September 2021 after they fired Carrion. Hung and Lundy voted to bring Tamas back, overriding Moore's lone "no" vote. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.