11302006 - News Article - North Township jobs change focus - HAMMOND: New positions take aim at education, job development - ROBERT CANTRELL

North Township jobs change focus
HAMMOND: New positions take aim at education, job development
NWI Times
Nov 30, 2006
nwitimes.com/news/local/north-township-jobs-change-focus/article_a02a5968-56c8-5f0f-9c6e-71ccc8b83362.html
HAMMOND | North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan has eliminated the jobs held by two East Chicago insiders who recently left their township positions, creating three new jobs at less cost.

Gone are the positions of East Chicago office manager, a post formerly held by political insider Robert Cantrell at a salary of $41,216, and communications director, a job formerly held by Myrna Maldonado at a salary of $35,000.

Replacing those positions are a full-time employment coordinator at a salary of $26,500, a full-time secretary-receptionist at $20,000 and a part-time clerk at $14,976 -- for a total of $61,476.

Cantrell and Maldonado each left township employ in October, Cantrell to retire and teach part-time at Purdue University Calumet.

Hired last year by the former trustee, Greg Cvitkovich, just prior to Cvitkovich pleading guilty to tax fraud charges, Maldonado has left the township to take a public relations position with the East Chicago Public Library. Maldonado previously served as spokeswoman for the city of East Chicago under Mayor Robert Pastrick.

The new employment coordinator will work under the supervision of job coordinator Dean Johnson to establish relationships with area employers with the goal of creating a database of job openings available to township clients.

It's Johnson's role to assess township clients before placing them in educational facilities to prepare clients for work opportunities, Mrvan said. Currently, 56 clients are in programs at Sawyer Business College, Ivy Tech, GED programs and apprenticeship programs.

The full-time secretary will take up roles formerly performed by Mrvan's administrative assistant, who has taken on additional duties, he said.

Mrvan said the part-time clerk's position will be filled by a Workfare client, who had been training with the township at no cost because of the township's participation in the Workfare program that seeks to place welfare recipients in jobs.

"We evaluated her as far as being an asset to the township," Mrvan said. "We're offering her this as a beginning step in hopes of her becoming full-time."

Mrvan said it should be part of the trustee's job to assist people in becoming self-sufficient and off the tax rolls.

"That's part of my job," he said.