The head of the Lake County Solid Waste Management District has resigned.
Executive Director John Minear III said his last day at work is Oct. 6. The board has appointed Jeanette Romano, the current deputy director, as acting executive director upon his recommendation, he said.
Minear will be taking a job in the private sector in Ohio where he and his wife have maintained a home for 15 years. He said he had traveled back to Ohio or his wife traveled to Indiana weekends since he was hired a little more than two years ago. Minear said his wife, a teacher, recently retired and he is looking forward to working closer to home to spend more time with family.
“It’s not government, I’m back in the private sector,” Minear said. “I am still in the solid waste industry. It is similar to what I’ve done in the past.”
Minear joined the solid waste district in May 2015 following the September 2014 termination of former executive director Jeff Langbehn. Langbehn lost his job over what board members deemed improper use of taxpayer funds after he purchased a designer purse for $700 for an employee as a gift for earning her master’s degree, among other purchases.
The departing director said his biggest accomplishment has been the transformation of the staff. He said when he first arrived there was a lot of uncertainty. Workers were unsure of their futures and weather the office would start with a clean slate.
Minear said he has worked with the staff and implanted changes to operations that were causing some issues under Langbehn.
“They have embraced those changes, but charges are hard,” Minear said.
One of the first things accomplished when he took over was selling some of the vehicles owned by the department.
“We got rid of some of the benefits a regular person does not get. We tried to pare some back a little bit so we were more in step with other governmental agencies and private businesses,” Minear said.
“(The board) wanted me to implement things and give a little more structure to our team. The fact we were able to do that and hold this team together and grow the team, I’m very excited about that. That means direction we are going in will continue,” Minear said.
Dave Hamm, who along with Christine Cid, represents the county council on the waste board, said he is sorry to see Minear go. Hamm was chairman of the board during the search that resulted in the hiring of Minear.
“There is not a member of the board that doesn’t think he is doing a good job,” Hamm said.
Hamm said the departure was unexpected and that there is no acrimony between the executive director and the board. He said as a board member he has been pleased with how Minear addressed the concerns of the board that prompted the firing of the former executive director.
“(Minear) turned a complete disaster into something we can be proud of,” Hamm said.
Hamm said he has confidence Romano is capable of performing the duties of executive director. Romano filled the role of interim director in the wake of Langbehn’s termination and prior to Minear’s hiring. She was a finalist for the position.
Her appointment will give board members an opportunity to determine if they ultimately want to fill the executive director’s post with a new person for find a new deputy director for Romano.
Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
