Cayuga County may soon see someone new take the reins of the county Mental Health Services department and its corresponding advisory board.

The county Legislature and Community Services Board will convene a special meeting Tuesday to interview two or three candidates for the director of mental health and Community Services Board - the governing body that oversees the county department - in the hopes of having a leader installed by September, according to County Manager Wayne Allen.

Though each position has specific responsibilities, one person will fill both roles.

“We'd like that person to start as quickly as possible,” he said. “There's a lot of work that has to be done because the county is going in a new direction.”

That “new direction” refers to a project the county is undertaking to consolidate mental health services into one facility at 146 North St. Auburn. That site will be expanded and undergo extensive renovations.

The county Legislature formed a selection committee to receive applications and screen the applicants earlier this year, Chairman Roger Mills said. Eleven people from both in and out of state applied for the positions.

The pool was narrowed down to just a handful after an initial screening process. The county is still in the process of figuring out how many people will be interviewed Tuesday.

Whomever is selected will take the helm after a turbulent year for mental health services which began last fall when the county department had about $100,000 withheld by the state Office of Mental Health as punishment for 10 citations dealing with facility and service violations and climaxed when longtime director David Blair retired in March after months of friction with legislators.

Deputy Mental Health Director Stella Chronis assumed the dual positions until her retirement in May; county nursing home administrator Deb English stepped in until September.

Given the contentious relationship in the past, Mills said there is symbolism in having both the Legislature and CSB conducting the interviews.

“We want someone that would be able to communicate with the various factions in our community,” he said. “The joint interviews between the governing agencies will allow everyone to evaluate the candidates and select the one that is most suitable.”

Legislators also tweaked the job description for the mental health director last week so whomever ultimately fills that position will serve at the pleasure of the Legislature.

The county governing body are also attempting to alter the job description for the director of the CSB to reflect the same, but pulled the resolution in June pending an opinion from the attorney general. Local mental health officials said at the June meeting that the state mandates that the director of the Community Services Board can only answer to the board.

Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net