Delco council appoints a new executive director
Delaware County Council appointed native son George Lazarus to replace outgoing longtime executive director Marianne Grace during its meeting Wednesday.
“When I saw Howard Lazarus’s resume, it pretty much blew me away,” said Councilwoman Christine Reuther. “He is a specialist in a lot of types of municipal infrastructure that we are seriously in need of addressing, and has done enormous projects in his role as head of facilities for public works in the city of Austin and led a large city government in Ann Arbor, Mich.”
Reuther said Lazarus grew up in Marple and attended Marple Newtown High School before heading off to West Point and serving in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years. Lazarus most recently served as city administrator for Ann Arbor, a position he took up in 2016, and had previously worked for eight years as the public works director in Austin, Texas.
Local press reports from Ann Arbor state Lazarus was fired from his position there in February without cause following a council vote of 7-4. Michigan news source mlive.com indicates there had been some friction between Lazarus and new council members following the November 2018 election, and Lazarus had sought employment elsewhere.
A separation agreement bars either Lazarus or Ann Arbor officials from making any disparaging remarks about one another, according to mlive.com, though he was provided $223,000 in severance pay and about $50,000 for unused leave time.
No salary figure for his new position in the county was mentioned during Wednesday’s meeting. The position runs for two years.
Councilman Kevin Madden said there were more than 140 applicants nationwide vying for the role and noted that Grace was among the three finalists, but Lazarus was ultimately found to be the kind of “change agent” the county needs.
“He has seen a lot of very challenging situations, he’ really seen it all,” said Madden. “He has gone forth and he brings back to his home county a tremendous amount of valuable experience that he can now bring home and put to use.”
Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer said Lazarus brings an enthusiasm to the position along with his qualifications, noting she had heard him say on several occasions that he could not wait to make the county government center a place where every employee feels valued and proud to work.
Council Chairman Brian Zidek said council tried to scare each of the applicants with some of the more daunting challenges they might face, such as a reduced staff, low budgets and lack of a county health department, but Lazarus never blinked.
“The guy really loves public service and wants to make a difference, and it is evident in every time I speak to him,” said Zidek.
The all-Democratic council told county employees last week in an email that it had not selected Grace, who had been a county employee since 1990 and served as executive director since 2001. A Republican, she was also a former Upper Darby councilwoman.
“Delaware County Council appreciates the high degree of professionalism and commitment Ms. Grace brought to her roles in county government over the past many years,” the email read. “She has played a particularly central role over the last four months, as the county has responded to the challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. All residents of Delaware County owe her a debt of gratitude for a career spent in service to the county.”
Grace also made an appearance via phone at the meeting to touch on a few accomplishments during her tenure, including selecting three members to sit on the newly formed Jail Oversight Board, administering a successful employee wellness program in the county called Step-Up Delco, and keeping the county ratings “excellent” among credit agencies like Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s, both of which specifically noted county management in designating that rating.
“I just want to say to all our employees what a pleasure it was to work with them,” Grace said. “This county has the best employees and I’m grateful for the times I had working with them, I’m thankful for all of their efforts, and I’m just looking forward to the future of the county and I want to give my best wishes to all of you, to your success and to the future success of Delaware County.”
Council members in turn thanked Grace for her service over nearly two decades as executive director and three decades with the county.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege,” said Madden. “We’ve worked together now for going on three years and I think in today’s very cynical environment, government and those who work for it, everything gets sorts of politicized, and the idea of a true public servant can often get lost, and Marianne when I think of you,
“When I saw Howard Lazarus’s resume, it pretty much blew me away. He is a specialist in a lot of types of municipal infrastructure that we are seriously in need of addressing, and has done enormous projects in his role as head of facilities for public works in the city of Austin and led a large city government in Ann Arbor, Mich.”
— Delaware County Councilwoman Christine Reuther
I really think of the true meaning of public servant.”
The meeting opened with a moment of silence for Swarthmore firefighter and emergency medical technician William “Brad” Blackman, 56, who died Monday from complications of COVID-19.
Among the numerous items and issues covered during the three-hour virtual meeting were several related to COVID-19, including using $312,000 worth of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funds to hire constables in an effort to safely reopen magisterial district courts, and submitting a
$274,377 grant application to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for coronavirus emergency supplemental relief through January 2022.
Council additionally approved $100,000 worth of agreements with Aquila Strategy Operations Group regarding a medical countermeasure emergency program and technical assistance action plan focused on distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine, as well as more than $66,000 to install Plexiglas and Lexan barriers at the county prison in Concord.
Council also approved $4 million worth of funds that will be available to nonprofits, $55.4 million in state and federal grant funds for early learning education over the next fiscal year, up to $6.3 million in rental assistance funding through the Community Action Agency of Delaware County, and a $572,731 grant application to the Pennsylvania Department of Justice in support of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, covering the period Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021.