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Thursday, December 4, 2003
By Adam Groff
Staff Writer
HAVERHILL -- Mayor John J. Guerin Jr. announced yesterday he will join the state Civil Service Commission after he leaves office in January.
In a letter dated Nov. 26, Gov. Mitt Romney appointed Guerin to the five-member commission effective Jan. 19, for a term that expires in March 2008. Terms on the commission are five years, and Guerin will be filling a seat that came open in March of this year, said a Romney spokeswoman.
Guerin's annual salary will be $70,000, $10,000 more than his mayoral salary.
The state's Human Resources Division administers the civil service merit system, which governs eligibility requirements for the hiring and promotion of state and municipal employees. The Civil Service Commission, according to the state's Web site, is a quasi-judicial agency that rules on human resources actions that may violate the merit principles outlined in state law.
Guerin hinted last month that his next job may be "kind of ironic" -- a reference to Guerin's own civil service decisions were challenged this fall, when he approved the promotion of a firefighter living in Hampstead, N.H., in violation of the state residency law for public safety officers.
When Firefighter Paul Weinburgh called attention to the Hampstead residence of Firefighter Richard Beaudoin, Guerin ordered all nonresident police officers and firefighters to move to the city within nine months.
But at the same time, the mayor went forward with the promotion of Beaudoin to fire lieutenant, contending he was only following past practice, which has often been to overlook out-of-state residency. Guerin and Personnel Director Mary Carrington said the Human Resources Division has in the past approved promotions of police or firefighters with New Hampshire addresses.
This time, however, in the wake of Weinburgh's repeated protests, the state held up Beaudoin's promotion in a letter last month, on grounds of his nonresidency. Guerin said since then, Beaudoin has set up residence in the city and his promotion paperwork is being resubmitted.
The addresses of police and firefighters are not public information, but the city clerk's office confirmed yesterday that Beaudoin has registered to vote in the city.
Guerin said despite the initial rejection of Beaudoin's promotion, the Human Resources Division has supported his actions to address the residency situation.
"We've worked well together through all this," said Guerin. "All these things added up to the (Romney) administration seeing a mayor dealing with civil service issues as fairly as possible."
In his letter of appointment, Romney wrote to Guerin, "Your experience in dealing with the wide variety of complex challenges within the civil service system on a city level will serve the commission well."
Guerin's experience is also a formal job qualification: Revisions passed just this year to the Civil Service Commission statute stipulate that two of the five commission members must have "prior experience serving as a town administrator, city manager, selectman or city councilor."
The other four commissioners -- appointed before those revisions were passed -- are Daniel J. Harrington, a former police officer and chief of the state Capitol Police Department; Daniel J. O'Neil, a former corrections officer and president of the statewide corrections officers union; Robert E. Tierney, a lawyer and former magistrate; and Daniel M. Henderson, a lawyer.
Guerin said he was also appointed to the commission because he shares the Romney administration's belief that the civil service system is in need of major overhaul -- beyond the residency requirement, which is supported by state unions and has survived several legislative efforts to remove it.
"They've known since the beginning of the administration that I share their thoughts with regard to reform of the civil service system," said Guerin. "I've made it clear that it works well with public safety, and that's about it."
Guerin said the presence of both civil service and non-civil service employees in City Hall caused friction during last summer's layoffs, because non-civil service workers have to be laid off before their civil service colleagues, regardless of who has been on the job longer. He said with the rise of employee unions, many civil service protections have become redundant.
Guerin said he may hear Haverhill cases on the commission, but none that he has had any dealings with as mayor or city councilor. Guerin served as a councilor for eight years before becoming mayor.
Tonight, the mayor will appear at a special joint conference with the City Council to discuss whether to change the city's own residency requirements for public safety officers, which are currently more restrictive than the state's. That meeting begins at 6:30 in the City Council office on the second floor of City Hall.
P.S. Thought this article was interesting. Those who knows Haverhill politics will find this hilarious!
By Adam Groff
Staff Writer
HAVERHILL -- Mayor John J. Guerin Jr. announced yesterday he will join the state Civil Service Commission after he leaves office in January.
In a letter dated Nov. 26, Gov. Mitt Romney appointed Guerin to the five-member commission effective Jan. 19, for a term that expires in March 2008. Terms on the commission are five years, and Guerin will be filling a seat that came open in March of this year, said a Romney spokeswoman.
Guerin's annual salary will be $70,000, $10,000 more than his mayoral salary.
The state's Human Resources Division administers the civil service merit system, which governs eligibility requirements for the hiring and promotion of state and municipal employees. The Civil Service Commission, according to the state's Web site, is a quasi-judicial agency that rules on human resources actions that may violate the merit principles outlined in state law.
Guerin hinted last month that his next job may be "kind of ironic" -- a reference to Guerin's own civil service decisions were challenged this fall, when he approved the promotion of a firefighter living in Hampstead, N.H., in violation of the state residency law for public safety officers.
When Firefighter Paul Weinburgh called attention to the Hampstead residence of Firefighter Richard Beaudoin, Guerin ordered all nonresident police officers and firefighters to move to the city within nine months.
But at the same time, the mayor went forward with the promotion of Beaudoin to fire lieutenant, contending he was only following past practice, which has often been to overlook out-of-state residency. Guerin and Personnel Director Mary Carrington said the Human Resources Division has in the past approved promotions of police or firefighters with New Hampshire addresses.
This time, however, in the wake of Weinburgh's repeated protests, the state held up Beaudoin's promotion in a letter last month, on grounds of his nonresidency. Guerin said since then, Beaudoin has set up residence in the city and his promotion paperwork is being resubmitted.
The addresses of police and firefighters are not public information, but the city clerk's office confirmed yesterday that Beaudoin has registered to vote in the city.
Guerin said despite the initial rejection of Beaudoin's promotion, the Human Resources Division has supported his actions to address the residency situation.
"We've worked well together through all this," said Guerin. "All these things added up to the (Romney) administration seeing a mayor dealing with civil service issues as fairly as possible."
In his letter of appointment, Romney wrote to Guerin, "Your experience in dealing with the wide variety of complex challenges within the civil service system on a city level will serve the commission well."
Guerin's experience is also a formal job qualification: Revisions passed just this year to the Civil Service Commission statute stipulate that two of the five commission members must have "prior experience serving as a town administrator, city manager, selectman or city councilor."
The other four commissioners -- appointed before those revisions were passed -- are Daniel J. Harrington, a former police officer and chief of the state Capitol Police Department; Daniel J. O'Neil, a former corrections officer and president of the statewide corrections officers union; Robert E. Tierney, a lawyer and former magistrate; and Daniel M. Henderson, a lawyer.
Guerin said he was also appointed to the commission because he shares the Romney administration's belief that the civil service system is in need of major overhaul -- beyond the residency requirement, which is supported by state unions and has survived several legislative efforts to remove it.
"They've known since the beginning of the administration that I share their thoughts with regard to reform of the civil service system," said Guerin. "I've made it clear that it works well with public safety, and that's about it."
Guerin said the presence of both civil service and non-civil service employees in City Hall caused friction during last summer's layoffs, because non-civil service workers have to be laid off before their civil service colleagues, regardless of who has been on the job longer. He said with the rise of employee unions, many civil service protections have become redundant.
Guerin said he may hear Haverhill cases on the commission, but none that he has had any dealings with as mayor or city councilor. Guerin served as a councilor for eight years before becoming mayor.
Tonight, the mayor will appear at a special joint conference with the City Council to discuss whether to change the city's own residency requirements for public safety officers, which are currently more restrictive than the state's. That meeting begins at 6:30 in the City Council office on the second floor of City Hall.
P.S. Thought this article was interesting. Those who knows Haverhill politics will find this hilarious!