Commissioners Place Kurzinger on Paid Administrative Leave
Geauga County Commissioners voted May 9 to place Geauga County Department of Water Resources Network Administrator Mike Kurzinger on paid administrative leave until further notice.
Geauga County Commissioners voted May 9 to place Geauga County Department of Water Resources Network Administrator Mike Kurzinger on paid administrative leave until further notice.
The move comes after federal investigators executed a search warrant May 3 on Kurzinger’s office in the county building on Ravenwood Drive, as well as at the home and business addresses of an outside IT contractor for GCDWR.
Commissioner Tim Lennon asked County Administrator Gerry Morgan if the motion was standard policy of the county. Morgan said yes.
“Wherever there is a question, we put (the employee) on paid administrative leave until the issue can be addressed,” Morgan said.
The FBI and U.S. Secret Service — whose remit includes safeguarding the nation’s financial infrastructure and payment systems — searched the office of Kurzinger and the Watt Road home of IT contractor Joe Camino, who owns CSJ Technologies Inc. in Mentor.
The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office and Russell Township Police Department assisted with the searches.
“We will wait and see what the outcome is of that (search),” Morgan said. “See if he needs to be disciplined for anything.”
Morgan said an interim will not be designated for Kurzinger’s position at this time.
“The gentleman who would be in his position on the interim basis left the water resources department a few months ago, and now currently works for ADP,” Morgan said.
Commissioner Jim Dvorak suggested revoking Kurzinger’s administrative credentials, as well as credentials for Camino and CSJ Technologies in order to safeguard the county and GCDWR.
“If we can look into that, I will feel better,” Dvorak said. “Since that situation, I’ve talked to a lot of commissioners across Northeast Ohio. They had suggestions to do this and to do that. This was one of them — to pull their credentials so that they can’t get back in either from their laptop at home or whatever.”
Dvorak said, as a realtor, if something happens to his laptop he calls his IT person in Bainbridge Township for remote-access help.
“It’s like magic. It’s like it can control all of the things that can fix my situation from his office,” he said. “That’s why I’d feel better if we look into and pull the credentials for Joe Camino, CSJ Technologies and Mike Kurzinger.”
Morgan said he would look into the matter.
