Civil service commission strikes three applicants, schedules multiple promotional exams

BERKELEY COUNTY, W.Va. — The Berkeley County Civil Service Commission voted Thursday to remove three applicants from its eligibility list for deputy sheriff candidates after each failed to respond to certified notices, and it set dates for multiple upcoming promotional exams as the sheriff's office works to fill seven vacancies.

The removals followed written requests from the Berkeley County Sheriff's Office asking that the applicants'names be stricken. The commission's action followed certified mail deadlines the office set; the commission removed Joshua Yannick, Anthony DeMartino and Austin Kirschner after staff reported each had not timely returned the form indicating whether they sought a public hearing. The commission approved the removals by voice vote.

Why it matters: The commission's decisions narrow the active eligibility list at a time the sheriff's office reported seven open deputy positions. Commissioners and staff discussed the statutory requirement that appointing authorities be certified three names at a time under West Virginia Code and whether that process can be accelerated when multiple openings exist.

Most important…