Public relations director position being created for Washington County government
Commissioner Sherman’s former executive assistant tapped for new role
Washington County will have a new director of public relations after the salary board created the position with the expectation that the board chairman’s former executive assistant will take on the role.
The county’s salary board voted unanimously Thursday to create the position effective immediately that will pay Patrick Geho an annual salary of $82,000.
Geho worked as county Commission Chairman Nick Sherman’s assistant for the past four years.
“This is something when we’re out with the public we saw that there is a need to get our messaging out of what we’re doing in Washington County,” Sherman said.
Sherman said Geho’s past jobs in state government and consulting work in public relations and political affairs made him a natural fit for the new position. He said the job is designed to disburse information to the public about various services available to them, along with making people aware about local organizations and activities at the county parks, among other duties.
“I feel that we’ve been deficient in getting the message out of the services we provide at the county and this is an opportunity to not go under contract with a large media firm,” Sherman said. “This is the cheaper alternative to make sure that our messaging is consistent across the board and that we’re serving the constituents of Washington County.”
Geho, who also served as president and chief executive officer for the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce in 2006 and 2007, said the new position will play an important role when it comes to coordinating town hall meetings, newsletters, social media updates and other ways information is disseminated to the public.
“I’m excited to begin this new role and ensure that everyone who could benefit from a Washington County program or service knows about them and how to access them. I will be responsible for providing accurate, timely, and complete information regarding county actions, achievements, and assets to the public,” Geho said in a written statement.
Meanwhile, Sherman pledged that Geho’s position would not become a firewall between elected officials and the public. Nor would it act as a roadblock for members of the media when attempting to speak to department heads or other public officials on various topics, Sherman said.
“We’d like to have more consistent messaging, but we will continue to allow our directors to speak directly to the media because they’re the ones sometimes that are the boots on the ground and it’s important that (the public) is getting the message directly from them,” Sherman said.
Sherman said he is now beginning the process to search for a new executive assistant with Geho now working in his new role. Geho was expected to make $56,122 this year as Sherman’s assistant.
“We’re excited for him to take his new role and we know he’s going to do a great job with this,” Sherman said.