Lakewood civil service board disqualifies two applicants, discusses interim chief examiner process

The Lakewood Civil Service Board on Thursday voted to disqualify two applicants from consideration for a chief-examiner–related position and discussed appointing an interim chief examiner while staff finishes a recruitment process. The actions came at the board’s Sept. 4 meeting, where members first approved minutes from the Aug. 7, 2025, meeting and then moved into a brief executive session on staffing matters. Board member moved to remove Micah Johnson from consideration and later moved to disqualify Daniel Musselman; the motions were seconded and the board recorded the votes in favor. The motions to remove the two candidates were procedural actions taken during the personnel discussion. The board reviewed a letter regarding the chief examiner role and noted that the previous chief examiner, Tracy, had a last day of Aug. 1. The HR director said the board needs to name a chief examiner to carry out duties including certifying registers and other statutory responsibilities tied to the position. A board member moved to appoint “Nicholas M. MS” as the designated civil service secretary/chief examiner; the motion was made on the record. Board members also discussed preferring an interim appointment while the city completes a full hiring process. The HR director told the board that staff is actively recruiting to fill an HR analyst vacancy and has reviewed applications for the chief-examiner recruitment. The director said six candidates have been selected for interviews scheduled for Sept. 10, and staff hopes to make a job offer by the middle of the month, with a start date to be arranged after an offer is accepted. The board also asked that the hiring process be thorough and not rushed, with one member emphasizing the need to match candidate experience to the role before finalizing a hire. The HR director provided those process details during the discussion. Procedural business at the start of the meeting included approval of the Aug. 7 minutes and a short executive session described as lasting about five minutes to consider candidate matters. No other formal policy actions or ordinances were discussed during the portion of the meeting on the hiring matter. The decisions to disqualify the two candidates are formal actions recorded in the meeting; the motion to appoint a specific person was placed on the record, and board members debated whether that appointment should be interim pending completion of the recruitment. The HR director outlined next steps for interviews and a target timeline for an offer.