AUBURN - The Cayuga County Legislature Health and Human Services Committee spent most of Thursday's meeting behind closed doors in executive session.

One of the topics discussed was a possible lawsuit, although committee chairperson Ann Petrus, R-Brutus, would not say what was the source or topic of litigation.

“Once I go into executive session, by law I'm obligated not to give that information,” Petrus said.

The committee also spent time interviewing Richard Hoyt for an interim position as the director of the Community Services Board. The interview also was done during executive session. Although other candidates who did not attend the meeting are being considered, Petrus would not release their names.

If hired, they would replace David Blair, who retired this past March. Blair was the county's director of mental health and the Community Services Board's director.

The Health and Human Services committee might bring up names of candidates for the two positions at August's Legislature meeting, Petrus said. She said it is important to fill these positions quickly because, there is currently one person doing two jobs, referring to Deb English, who is the interim Community Services Board chairperson in addition to being the county nursing home administrator.

The committee does not know yet if it will need one or two candidates to fill the positions of director of mental health and director of the Community Service Board, Petrus said.

“There's the issue of who that one person will be, who will the two people be and then, depending on who those people are, can they legally do it,” Petrus said. “So, we've got the legal issue, the time issue, who are they and what do we pay them.”

The committee has not yet received a recommendation from the state attorney general as to how it should proceed, said County attorney Fred Westphal. However, a decision about how to fill the two positions will be made regardless of whether or not the committee hears back from the state. “Whether there will be a consensus,” between the Legislature and the Community Service Board, “I don't know. But they will be able to come to a decision as to who to hire,” Westphal said.

“I hope that we can bring a person's name to the Legislature on the 26th and ask for its full support,” Petrus said.

Staff writer Gitana Mirochnik can be reached at 253-5211 ext. 237 or gitana.mirochnik@lee.net