Lorain Civil Service Commission approves administrative appointment, disqualifies firefighter candidates and completes routine business

The Lorain Civil Service Commission met Nov. 18, 2025, in council chambers and handled a slate of personnel and administrative matters, approving an exceptional appointment for the fire department and taking action on firefighter eligibility lists.

Commissioners first voted to excuse Miss Saint Keys from the meeting. They then approved and certified minutes from Sept. 9 and Oct. 14, 2025, and moved to receive and file correspondence submitted since the last meeting. No members of the public addressed the commission during the public‑comment period.

Under personnel correspondence, the Safety Service Director reported that one firefighter candidate had voluntarily removed his name from the department’s eligibility list; the commission voted to accept the voluntary removal. The director also requested concurrence in disqualifying three candidates from the current firefighter eligibility list under local civil service rule 6.6(a); commissioners voted to concur in the disqualifications. The record does not provide the names or the commission’s stated rationale for the three disqualifications.

Separately, the commission voted to waive the 72‑hour posting rule so it could consider an additional personnel matter. After discussion about the relevance of testing to the administrative assistant role, commissioners voted to waive the testing provisions cited in the meeting record and to consider an exceptional appointment on that basis. A letter from Chief Rodman, read into the record, described the vacancy created by the previous administrative assistant’s retirement on Nov. 14, 2025, and the role’s duties, saying the position “handles payroll, purchase orders, invoices, permits, and handles all nonemergency phone calls from the public.”

The commission then approved the exceptional appointment of the candidate named in the motion as Hailey Wofford. Commissioners congratulated the appointee after the voice vote.

The panel also approved payment of the commission’s bills and certified payrolls for the City of Lorain and the Lorain City School System, provided those payrolls conform to civil service rules and procedures. The commission scheduled its next meeting for Dec. 16, 2025, at 5 p.m. in council chambers and adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

Actions taken at the meeting included: excusing an absent member; approving prior meeting minutes; receiving and filing correspondence; accepting a voluntary removal from the firefighter eligibility list; concurring in the disqualification of three firefighter candidates; waiving a 72‑hour notice requirement and testing provisions to consider an exceptional appointment; approving the exceptional appointment of the administrative assistant for the fire department; authorizing payment of bills; and certifying payrolls.