Jan 6, 2014 4 min read

The spring primary is a day off for most Washington County employees, but not the spring primary a few years ago, and not for the county’s chief clerk, Mary Helicke.

A local election board failed to show up, so Elections Director Larry Spahr scrambled to find people to substitute after the poll was supposed to open for the day. Helicke was one of those who answered the call along with Director of Administration Scott Fergus and his wife, Mundy.

Helicke described her job as “a lot of problem-solving things, putting out a lot of sparks before they become fires.”

Helicke, a commissioners’ appointee, prepares agendas and is the keeper of the commissioners’ proceedings. She is also the county’s right-to-know officer and oversees an administrative assistant and secretary, all commissioners’ calendars and legal advertising, contracts, grant applications and leases from a tiny office on the seventh floor of Courthouse Square.

She also received the single-largest raise – 17.8 percent – when the Washington County Salary Board convened Monday in an annual ritual prescribed by the county code. Permanent members of the salary board are the county commissioners and Controller Michael Namie.

“I didn’t know I got the biggest raise,” Helicke said Monday after being quizzed by a reporter, adding that she did not lobby for a fatter paycheck, which was pegged at $50,000 before a 3 percent raise kicks in.

Most county employees and elected officials were receiving 3 percent raises, but a few were receiving anywhere between an additional $91 for Misti Kolovich, billing and finance coordinator for the health center business office to $5,068 for sheriff’s captain William Forgie.

Highest wages among elected officials paid by county tax dollars are the commissioners. As chairman, Larry Maggi’s salary will be $82,066 this year, with his two colleagues, Diana Irey Vaughan and Harlan Shober, being paid $81,036. Row officer salaries will be $75,750.

There also were some developments on the labor front.

Fergus noted after the salary board meeting that Washington County sheriff’s deputies ratified a tentative contract that the commissioners will be asked to approve later this week. County jail guards also will be voting Wednesday on a tentative agreement. Both are four-year pacts to replace labor contracts that expired Dec. 31.

The county is scheduling another negotiation session with employees of the Children & Youth Services agency, the first since Dec. 19, which Fergus described as “a very productive meeting. We’re optimistic about getting an agreement there.”

Representing the CYS workers is the Service Employees International Union-Pennsylvania Social Services Union.

Members of AFSCME from the adult and juvenile probation offices, whose contract expired Dec. 31, 2012, and the county plan to have the next probation departments’ contract determined by a labor arbitrator.

The salary board also approved, at the request of District Attorney Eugene Vittone, the creation of an office manager’s position paying $40,000, and a legal secretary paying $16.11 an hour. The position of special assistant district attorney was abolished.

In the coroner’s office, Megan Marsteller resigned as chief assistant effective Dec. 31. Coroner Timothy Warco received the go-ahead to increase the size of his staff from one full-time employee and a part-time clerical contractor to two full-timers, one of whom is expected to start work within a month.

Recorder of Deeds Debbie Bardella received permission to extend a temporary worker’s employment through the year so a scanning project can continue. The $17.01-per-hour position is being paid through the office’s Record Improvement Fund, as opposed to county property tax dollars.

Public Defender Glenn Alterio received permission to add a second part-time employee. He said he expects the new part-timer, who will be paid $39,473, to be assigned to pretrial services. There are also six full-time public defenders working in the office.

In the county office of Aging-related Services, the position of quality assurance manager was eliminated, and Rose Moore was named to a $47,830-per-year manager of operations position.

At the Washington County jail, Donald Waugh was promoted from major of jail operations to deputy warden with a $4,076 salary increase to $55,575. The major’s position was eliminated.

Information has been submitted to the county human resources office for the staffs of the new Washington County jurists who were sworn in last week.

Judge Valarie Costanzo’s secretary will be Lori Hoag, who also served in that capacity at Costanzo’s magisterial office; her law clerk will be Kristen Peck and her court crier, Mary O’Rourke. Judge Michael Lucas’ secretary will be Lynette Leasure; his law clerk, David Finder; and his court crier, Patrick Leary.