ဟံၣ်My WebLinkဘၣ်ဃးဒီး1996-12 t emir ' lR Newsletter for t l /. r � \� 7 1, i , , , , Employees and Retiree: L_ , of Tompkins County t 1 .-,. i) 7 \ �� D ECEMBER 1996 Volume 9 Number 11 J413 i33ue o/ County Corriclor3 i3 dedicated to oLouise fficfwen a6 a fohen o/ our appreciation Ar 4er man, cyear3 o /cecIicafed Service to t4 i.5 new3Ceffer. From the Editorial Board. THE BRILL FAMILY BENEFIT t j ojt i;) c....---) _)cca,__Th, .-Li i t') I A . ap - ' \ c� ■ I ^,, A `' : e` B 1,° .. B r^" t, -,„ 1 �- - K 9 il oi;.. a ,.... L ` • y, - -, ,,,�",. � �d� Vauc pro;', I �. ,.w � �,'; �,p � orr C 1 ', � i „o I , �T V AN , t - ' - ` . , employees roved what team work can accomplish when the • .. I• l_ • Y proved P they G ' , ,, _� � 2 . - - - _,. , organized and carried out a fun filled and successful benefit in honor of Chris (Finance /Purchasing) and Harold's son Connor. • A I3 _ C . �� NA PLAY '� '1��� r , W i i 1 i L LO FIRE L '' ? • . NEWFIELO, N.Y. * - ! , $ i il . ea ! ,,, ..- , Are they impersonating Hear, See, Speak and Smell No Evil s ,� or someone we know? loo i 1 A Long - Overdue Reform by Scott Heyman, County Administrator Our Personnel office has learned that New York States around the nation began to reform civil State has instituted a service, to retain the barriers against preferential hiring new method of scoring without penalizing good employees. The mildest reforms c 1 v i I service f increased the hiring pool to the top five, or the top ten. The examinations. 6 State of Arkansas abandoned testing altogether; an individual who meets the training and experience Pp , requirement for a position can be permanently hired in that state. "Band scoring" is New York's version of reform. % _ e�� ap � � ' Scores of persons who pass tests will be grouped. For example, everyone who receives a raw score of 70, 71, 72, Hi 73 and 74 will receive a band score of 70. Candidates with • ormaylio : ♦ .; J 75, 76, 77, 78, and 79 will receive a score of 75, etc. i . I' 1� 4 ; The basic premise of Civil Service law is that an Il I, I i ' ; ' 1 l i � Il ill' 1 l i appointing authority must choose from among the top three Instead of lists containing , candidates on a list who are willing to accept appointment. point by point scores, IL, Another section (which is the one that makes band scoring department heads will I�IIi i,�.liki6 � i'(y work) says that "anyone equal to, but beyond, the number now receive "band y three position on a list is also to be considered among the scored" lists. �� - top three for the purpose of making a permanent This is a very WC141E WAGNER appointment ". welcome. and very Tong- overdue event. Forty-nine states have reformed their For example, the #1 candidate on a list has a score civil service systems so that when positions are filled, the of 100, #2 has a score of 95, and candidates #3 through hiring officer is not restricted to only three persons. Now #12 have scores of 90. In this instance, band scoring New York has made it unanimous. provides the appointing authority with 12 candidates who are technically "among the top three ". Our civil service system exists for many very good reasons. Government jobs throughout the 19th century Lists will not work out this way in every instance. were viewed as patronage rewards for faithful party There will be times when there are no other candidates service. The Progressive Movement at the beginning of equal to but beyond the number three candidate. This will this century advocated changing that through "scientific result in the employer again having only three candidates practices" -- persons would have to be hired based on to choose from. However, as you can see from the merit and fitness, generally determined by a competitive example, band scoring has the potential to produce lists examination process. with many more names "among the top three" than even the "rule of 10" legislation would have allowed. A young Robert Moses wrote New York State's first comprehensive civil service reform law in the early It's about time. 1920s. It included the requirement that candidates have job experience suitable to the position sought, that they n /J / pass a test pertinent to the job's duties, and that they rank . sore every employee and retiree and among the top three persons passing the test and are / willing to serve. aLL Q/J of tflei.r lanai/lei enjoy a `ia (A sidelight - Moses spent the rest of his career trying to sidestep the requirements of the law he wrote.) La/ I /��, th j , and proiperouJ hio(tday ieaion. Over the years the negative influence of political parties over hiring lessened. However, there were troubling instances of suitable, successful employees having to be let go because either they did not pass or did < 4;0V; V > • not score high enough on a civil service test. In addition, .. 1.:: many people thought that examinations did not do a good .4. �' :� job of measuring a person's ability to perform the job • •.•.• . .r duties. Who has not heard of an example of this? Peprtnied /roin 09t4, 1 988 . 1 -0, .f - , , , iri ,, _ i EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH ,,• t SHE PUTS THE PERSONAL INTO ....104„, PERSONNEL ." t 4 0,„ i , ,ni4 -pa, , '» by Judy I. Tynyk, Mental Health t . . j .- •ti; ' 0 ! = +, i ► 4" ''1` -., r• s - i►^ rr ' •. When she was oung and in her prime, ,4, ,. 4 'r�'t - ' , 1' She tho t with us she'd spend some time. 0 * * „, . `� / 5,,, So she talk ed" with Hugh and they agreed, .J� .`� '«a << ? .,, ., • . ;.' A stenographer he sure did need. J, " . � :t4. • ` r . �' That was back in '67, ,� I ' ° + ' ... ' w ;`S A - , sox, . She thought shed died and gone to heaven. ., it , , ,� �� -1k - " ' a t� r 2 +" � ,,,� , • Louise McEwen is her name, 0 • . • . r • And Spencer is from whence she came. ti Xi^ v.- f :-' � ; , 1 40 Now twenty-one years have come and gone, �� `i� " - ;+d' ' But she's still here and going strong. 4- . . Things have changed a lot smce then, And her favorite line is, "Remember when..." rn 2 1 996 by Judy 1. Tynyk, Wgts. & Meas. From the Court House basement to Building C, She's shared her wisdom with you and me. Twenty -nine years have come and gone, Now the First Court House is her domain, And Benefits Manager is her game. She's still here, but not for long. She's decided to take the plunge, She married "Mac" in '75 To retire from the County and just have fun. And came to live on Winthrop Drive. When he went to work so far away, Her kids are grown and on their own, We were glad she chose to stay. They didn't stray too far from home. Now in the Capitol is his career, Her grandkids are her greatest pleasure, And when he can he comes back here. The joy they bring her can't be measured. But when the weather does permit, She says, "Stay there, I'll make the trip." For those of us that know her well, Her daughter, Dawn, is married now, There's many tales that we could tell. She works at Friday's cooking chow. Like the time we got caught in the rain, Son David's in the Navy,.he sails the seven seas, And to my new clothes she did lay claim. His wife is in Virginia waiting patiently. We pulled many stunts throughout the years, When asked to ass on some advice,. But it's time I made things thoroughly clear. Louise said "Now, quote this quite precise." She thought them u I ' "Be extremely careful what you say, g up, carried them out, J Or it might end up in your file some day!" And everyone of them made Hurlbut shout! Throughout the years we've shared so much, She has many fond memories of all twenty-one years, But there's one last dream to which 1 clutch. Her fondest of all are of her peers. When you get released from the County Zoo, "So many nice people I've been able to meet... ", And it is with enjoyment when of them she speaks. Please, Louise, take me with you! There's 200 retirees spread coast -to- coast, That twinkle in her eye, that bounce in her step, Of her contact with them she does proudly boast. It's not likely that I'll soon forget.. . They keep her informed as to what's going on Maybe Hugh should upgrade her title to' Mom . . LOUISE WEEZIE' McEWEN. Her smile is so friendly, her laughter quite breezy, Louise's employment with Tompkins County has exemplified Her really close friends have nicknamed her' ". dignity and grace. Among other things, she taught me how to I'm one of her friends, I'm proud to say, think and more importantly, how to laugh. At least I was until this passed her way! SOLID WASTE GIVES TOUR TO FOURTH GRADERS THANK YOU NOTES FOLLOW from Linnett Warner, S.W. - - C rile- 7 1 17- — ()_c iLe_vJ7f R. 1g 4 . ► IIIISS, ; x 1! h u 4 y/0 L(.S0ir i.q_v 4 - na 5___±- ,t r • *f h ka ., , N .. a rf f.11 P_ rvc ycLn e t�,r:— _hug,, arse 1 _xaTcon _ i ar K n i p 1 r \ , . ,, ,, ,,, •\ n � ��• c rrarR }- r1 f &i.J_ 2 - G�YL�Rs_. 9 e 9th 1 's r- VW . . k a y °u Iih 1I •n. - SAL. it . al . , /1i 1 ... _ - . - I c o r t- h e, pi , n r_i 15__vs 0t.r.4-_ r_e_e. 64 ! ia.-_ aat. s 11 tna 5k. ■`- . _QCObe1T -ae-A e s . y tr-9 c_eaa4 r S - �£f .l- ^ -- C .ta e t 17)-4-q -qb �Le —o,�-e caaain__ ba_K_cala+ «Sly p °`' R- �t- ��y -r--�s cj 9 `l h i K esA he e e o_si-,_ 1 - - 5 - F-0-h— ► 0,-, ', -t o th P -- r_0,_s 1N m.e_11e.. d p_o,c), - - -. -- - - -- t -L 1_c_l -i h9 c s , re, ) T _ -__0 i A ; Kf._Lit_ t In 2 i _u_t wo„ f -I'1, . . 1 ---;4-0-16 'It S p.rt►t.d :ax-X ___o1A wont, atw. iI�a. lSyo A Qr�1,e b oo i<. -arm' --- I.CJ c t. _Lt. NJar_e._ • P P VA- Lt • C onhCenceo to the /aini4, member o / tie -*Lc -a / 2 lepartment mut /riencL4 o/ Mihe Pculuti. -e iL greatly miJ$ed. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE and have fun doing it. 11111* by Janice Johnson, Youth Bureau and Wellness Committee Need some extra incentive to get out and run • or walk during the cold winter months? Why don't you consider entering a road race? Races can provide you with a short term fitness goal and some fun. My love of road races began New Year's Eve. I entered a five mile race in NYC that began at midnight in Central Park. Six thousand runners, most of them in zany costumes, left from Tavern on the Green during a spectacular fireworks display; runners were given a glass of champagne at the 2.5 mile mark and were cheered on by thousands of spectators. I was hooked! I have run at least one race every month since then. For example: January - a Super Bowl Sunday race; February - a Valentine's Day race; electronically reproduced by Angie White, Information Servcs. March - a race through the Bronx Zoo; July - the famed Boilermaker 15K, which this year included Zola Budd and other Olympians. I looked forward to November's Turkey MYSTERY Trot and ate guilt free on Thanksgiving. I even try to find DINNER races when I go on vacation - it's a great way to meet people in a new place, find out where the best restaurants THEATER are, and maintain your fitness schedule. • (s.onsored b the Recreation Committee) It's easy to get involved because there are literally JANUARY 25, 1997 thousands of races every year. Most have a small registration fee ($7 -$10) and you usually get a T -shirt and a goodie bag. There are runners ages 9 to 90 years, some run fast, others slow. Speed is not a concern, the last person to finish gets just as many cheers as the first one. Rest assured there will be others there who will be running, jogging, or walking at your pace. Racers may try to be top finishers, others set personal goals for themselves, others just run for fun. Some races are family oriented and offer pee wee and youth runs. You can find out about races by contacting your local running club, looking in the back of running magazines such as Runners World, or contacting NY Road Runners Club. In fact, once you've entered one race, you'll probably get fliers for lots of upcoming races. So when the weather is cold and rainy or you're tired and don't feel like exercising, psyche yourself up by thinking of your future race. You'll feel great if you actually HOLIDAY INN finish a 1 mile, 5K or 15K challenge you set for yourself. ITHACA You'il get out there because you won't want to disappoint all the spectators cheering you on by having to stop. You'll Dinner want to look as good as the 85 year old woman running and next to you (and hopefully feel that good when you're 85). I plan to keep running in road races and I hope I see some Show of you out there. if you see me running on some snowy only afternoon, rest assured I'm dreaming of the Peach Tree $15 race in Atlanta, Georgia June 1997 and maybe the NYC per person Marathon for 1998 ? ?? call Leighann at 274 -6674 for more information or to make o reservation 1 Unclassifieds WINTER CRISP For Sale: from Sue Kilgore, Healthy Head ProForm Treadmill Plus. New $500 - asking Filling: Topping: $250. Glide Plus $150. Call 564 -9482 1 /2 c sugar 2/3 C rolled oats 3 T. all- purpose flour 1/3 C brown sugar packed Wanted: 1 t lemon peel grated 1/4 C whole wheat flour j 1/4 t. lemon juice 2 t. ground cinnamon Used Canoe. Call 273 -4392 between 10 a.m. and 5 C apples, unpeeled, sliced 1 T. soft margarine, melted 10 p.m. any day - please leave a message. 1 C cranberries Free: 1. To prepare filling, in a medium bowl combine sugar, flour, and 7 yr. old spayed female dog free to good home. lemon peel; mix well. Add lemon juice, apples, and • Needs love and attention. Medium sized, cranberries; stir to mix. Spoon into a 6 -cup baking dish. obedient. Call 272 -3191 Pam or Jim. 2. To prepare topping, in a small bowl, combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add melted margarine; stir to mix. 3. Sprinkle topping over filling. Bake at 375 F approximately 40 -50 minutes or until filling is bubbly and top is brown. Serve warm or at room temperature. October 31 found �lderbi. —gar, I t, ..< 1 Lynda Rose, weJli.eJ evercyotte ) ) '' - Finance , / / /� / `�'' / harpy and healthy y i i / b eWITCHed I' /J :; but not 6io idar�J. " Articles to be considered for the January 2 issue must be received bothered by Wednesday,December 17, 1996. Lengthy articles should be on disk. Send by interdepartmental mail to Ruth Pond, ..: or bewildered! Finance /Purchasing or 125 East Court St., Ithaca, NY 14850. Fax: 274 -5505. UNCLASSIFIEDS Classified ads up to 25 words in length are free to County employees, retirees and their immediate families. Ads may be for any purpose except no personal ads v will be accepted. No County addresses or telephone numbers may be listed in o these ads. Use this coupon to send your ad via interdepartmental mail to Ruth r s Pond, County Corridors c/o Finance - Purchasing, or 125 East Court St., Ithaca, NY " IT'S NOT TOO LATE! 14850. Please type or print legibly) Thanks! 1 .23 Did you forget United Way? If you have misplaced your donation card, or you never received one, call Leighann at 274 -6674, and she will send you one. COUNTY CORRIDORS Just a dollar from your check would Articles and opinion pieces for County Corridors are selected by the volunteer help so many people. it all adds up! editorial board based on their interest to Tompkins County employees and retirees. They do not necessarily express the opinions of the Editorial Board. Material is solicited from current employees, retirees and others. Remember that your raise goes into Material for publication is selected by the editorial board which reserves the right effect on January 1 - the same date that to edit any submissions except in the instance of copyright articles. The Editorial Board is made up of: Bill Chapp, Social Services; Sharon Cooper, Assessment; the United Way contribution would begin! Lisa Eaton, (Proofreader), Finance- Purchasing; Iretta Ellis, Information Services; Scott Heyman, County Administrator; Louise McEwen, Personnel; Ruth Pond, If there is any way you could possibly (Editor), Finance - Purchasing; Judy Tynyk, (Chair), Weights and Measures; and help - so many people would benefit Vickie Wagner, (Artist), Drafting Technician. Correspondence may be sent through County inter - department mail to: County from your generosity and kindness! Corridors, c/o Finance- Purchasing, 125 East Court St., Ithaca, NY 14850.