Report: Only 1 'Person Of Color' Out Of 77 In County Department

SUFFOLK COUNTY— An explosive new report revealed that Suffolk County's Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service had only "one person of color" among 77 employees, Suffolk County Steve Bellone said.

On Tuesday, Bellone released the findings of the comprehensive 10-month review; the report offered "an unprecedented examination" of the department following a thorough assessment led by Suffolk County performance management and in collaboration with members of the department and various stakeholders, including county department heads and local jurisdictions served, he said.

With an eye toward change, Bellone nominated Thomas Melito to serve as Suffolk County Personnel Officer pending approval by the county legislature. And, in addition, Bellone announced that he was creating the first-ever position of chief diversity and inclusion officer and appointing Retha Fernandez to serve in that position, pending similar legislative approval.

A search is also currently underway to select a candidate to serve as Director of Human Resources.

“This review makes it abundantly clear that the Department of Civil Service must be reformed to ensure that we create a culture of innovation and diversity to attract and retain talent in the workforce,” Bellone said. “We now have a roadmap that will enable the department to make the necessary changes so that we can improve performance, empower employees, and bring this department into the 21st century. Tom is uniquely qualified to serve as our next personnel officer based on his experience with employee training and existing working relationships with local government and school districts. Tom and Retha will make an exceptional team to lead this department and make it a model of excellence across the state.”

Earlier this year, Bellone said Barry Paul, director of performance management for Suffolk County, would be temporarily reassigned to the department of civil service to work with Jo-Anne Taormina, acting Suffolk County civil service personnel director, to lead the review of the department and develop a series of recommendations on its operations.

"Based on the review, the department has failed to meet its full array of responsibilities called for by the Suffolk County charter," Bellone said. Those responsibilities include providing a "robust" county human resources function, conducting day to day internal operations with respect to countywide civil service functions, and the management of diversity in the human resources/civil service department as well as the important role it should play in increasing diversity in local governments, he said.

Key findings, Bellone said, indicated that the department has "a very poor diversity profile with only one person of color among 77 employees."

In addition, the report noted the absence of a division of human resources within the Department of Human Resources, Personnel and Civil Service Assessment, as well as a director of human resources to lead the division.

Also indicated was the absence of a dedicated federated information technology unit, focused on the county payroll/personnel system and performing all functions necessary and pertinent to the administration of such system as well as all human resource information systems; and the absence of a dedicated training unit to assist county departments in the planning, design and administration of training programs for county employees other than departmental orientation and in-service programs, he said.

The absence of HR title hinders the improvement and standardization of HR best practices countywide, Bellone said.

Recommendations include creating and sustaining a diverse workforce, including establishing a diversity and inclusion program with an initial focus within the department and expanding to all county departments and local jurisdictions with the objective of having a countywide public sector employee population that better represents the county’s constituent population at large. In addition, the department should establish strategic diversity goals and metrics to monitor impacts of the program countywide, Bellone said.

The county executive said the department should also adopt a new mission statement and produce a departmental strategic plan that is consistent with the charter's intent, best practices and county administration policy.

The report also calls for an overhaul of countywide civil service functions, including improving performance by implementing a system that utilizes performance metrics, conducts periodic assessments, utilizes HR metrics consistently, and establishes a mechanism to assess a more frequent sampling of county and local jurisdiction needs.

Goals, Bellone said, include to ensuring staff be routinely re-trained in the interpretation and implementation of state civil service laws and rules; investing in technology by implementing a new technology solution for county payroll, time and attendance management and personnel; evaluating the fairness of county policies in targeted areas; and reviewing civil-service laws and regulations to identify those that inhibit effective organizational management and striving to improve deficiencies by working with controlling administrative authorities and via legislative reforms, he said.