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Lorain civil service approves multiple appointments, waives testing for five police hires
Summary
At its Sept. 9 meeting the Civil Service Commission approved appointments for a building maintenance cleaner and a police dispatcher and voted to waive testing to allow five exceptional police hires; the commission also established a two-name eligibility list for police chief.
The Lorain Civil Service Commission on Sept. 9 approved a series of personnel actions including the appointment of Jesus Caldera as a cleaner in Building Maintenance, the appointment of Ashley Zimba as a police telecommunicator (dispatcher), and five exceptional police appointments for Jacob Lee, Robert Trivette, Eileen Gonzales, Jace Perez and Jose Gracia.
Safety service staff presented each candidate and described unanimous or strong interview recommendations. The commission moved and approved each appointment by voice vote with conditions that the police candidates complete standard post-offer requirements: polygraph, medical, physical and psychological examinations.
For the police hires, the commission first voted to waive testing provisions under Ohio Revised Code 124.3082, citing staffing need (the department reported 94 sworn officers of an authorized 115 and an imminent retirement) and an emergency hiring rationale. Each of the five candidates was considered individually and approved contingent on successful completion of required clearances.
Separately, the commission established an eligibility list for the position of police chief after an assessment given Aug. 30, 2025; the two names on the list are Michael Failing (top) and Andrew Mathewson. Commissioners also approved routine administrative motions to pay outstanding Civil Service Commission bills and to certify payrolls for the Lorain City School System and City of Lorain.
Votes at a glance: all motions recorded at the meeting were approved by voice vote. Where contingency conditions were stated, hires are subject to customary post-offer clearances.
Next steps: conditional hires must complete polygraph, medical, physical and psychological exams before final appointment; staff will file required documentation in accordance with Ohio Revised Code.
