Inweekly has obtained an email, dated Oct. 24, 2011, from County Administrator Randy Oliver, informing all the commissioners—Gene Valentino, Grover Robinson, Kevin White and Wilson Robertson—that Human Resources had implemented the following policies passed on Oct. 21, 2011, “effective immediately:”
- Job Application References. The following statement will appear in the introduction of the county’s online job application: “Candidates may not list a sitting Escambia County commissioner as a reference in their application. Also, the following statement will be placed in the supplemental question section of each Escambia County job opening posting: “I understand that I am not to list a sitting Escambia County commissioner as a reference, and should I list such a reference, I understand my application will be rejected.
- Recruitment/Selection Blackout Period. Once a position is advertised, a sitting Escambia County Commissioner or their aide cannot contact Human Resources or the selection committee about the recruitment, hiring process or salary until an offer has been accepted.
County Attorney Alison Perdue (Rogers now), Charlie Peppler and Ron O. Sorrels were copied on the email.
The email conflicts with County Administrator Wes Moreno’s position that the policies were never enacted.
Last Thursday, the Escambia County Commission took up the controversy surrounding the library services director hire, with commissioners questioning County Administrator Wes Moreno about aide Melanie Luna’s involvement in the process—and about a 2011 blackout policy that was passed by the board. Read Oct 20 2011 Agenda Add-on.
Deputy County Attorney Kristin Hual told the commissioners that the 2011 board action was never drafted as a formal policy amendment and was never incorporated into any county policy manual.
“There was a board action, a directive, but it was never implemented. It was never incorporated into any of the policy manuals.”
—Deputy County Attorney Kristin Hual
Moreno did commit to bringing a revised policy back before the board, likely at the second meeting in June, following legal review. However, the record shows the policy implemented.
Someone has more explaining to do. The policy has been in effect for nearly 15 years, according to Oliver’s email. R
Unfortunately, Randy Oliver passed away in 2022, but it doesn’t appear much research was done by Moreno and his staff.
