Embattled Social Services Director James Isom Quits

Moving quickly after the resignation of embattled social services director James E. Isom, the county’s chief administrator is expected to appoint Isom’s top deputy as interim director Monday.

Isom, 56, announced his resignation Friday after months of closed-door questioning by superiors about whether the low-key executive was suited to lead the county through welfare reform.

Isom, who has directed the department for 22 years, also has been sharply criticized by some of his employees for an alleged lack of leadership in solving chronic problems.

The Board of Supervisors reviewed Isom’s performance in a private session last week, but Supervisor Frank Schillo said Saturday that the administrator was not forced out.

“I think it’s fortunate that he decided to retire,” said Schillo, one of Isom’s principal critics. “But I don’t think the board could have fired him unless he did something really drastic, or committed malfeasance.”

County lawyers said that because of legal technicalities involving Isom’s titular role as guardian of children in his agency’s custody, firing him was problematic, Schillo said.

The county offered Isom no financial incentive to leave, Schillo said, but agreed to continue his $107,000-a-year salary for three months after he leaves--a benefit worth about $26,750.

Without that agreement, Isom’s resignation would not have been effective until mid-September, and Schillo said nobody wanted a lame duck to lead the 880-employee agency in such a period of change.

Isom could not be reached for comment Saturday.

County chief administrator Lin Koester confirmed that Isom’s last day will be June 14 and that agency chief deputy Barbara Fitzgerald will lead the department, at least for now.

“Barbara is very well qualified,” Koester said. “She’s impressed me with her knowledge of all areas within the agency. And her fiscal analysis and program analysis has been very good.”

Fitzgerald has also worked closely with supervisors Schillo and John Flynn as they have worked to craft a plan to deal with welfare reform.

Isom generally delegated those responsibilities, and that lack of direct participation in such a watershed issue bothered some of his bosses, Schillo said.

“His management style was not hands-on in terms of getting down to what the employees’ problems are and making changes,” Schillo said. “That’s a good style when things are going OK, but when things are being thrown into chaos, a different kind of approach is needed.”

While Isom was not forced to resign, he was being pressured to do a better job, meeting regularly with Koester and Schillo to talk about his performance, Schillo said.

“The meetings we had were to basically let me know what he was doing [to improve],” Schillo said. “But it was a lot of catch-up. He’s operated in a certain way, and now we’ve really got to streamline this whole thing, to be creative.”

Isom also has suffered from physical problems over the last year, including a back surgery. “It’s been difficult for him to sit, painful,” Schillo said. “So for him personally I think it makes a lot of sense. This was the time to go.”

Barry Hammitt, executive director of the union representing 850 social service workers, said Isom’s departure will improve things only if the Board of Supervisors goes outside the department to find a replacement.

Even then, the new leader must be given more money to fix the problems that hamstrung Isom, Hammitt said.

For example, social workers in Children’s Protective Services have complained of being so overworked and understaffed that children are being endangered.

One child advocate even demanded last November--after the parents of 2-year-old Joselin Hernandez were charged in her death--that Isom resign.

And foster parents have complained that the county provides little help in their efforts to care for troubled children.

“Given the current situation with the agency, they need to bring someone in who doesn’t have any ties to the old administration or any of that old baggage,” Hammitt said.

“All of the indications on welfare reform are that people are going to be required to do more with less and work smarter,” he added. “And we need someone who is innovative and someone who will put the employees first and regulations second.”

Yet, Hammitt said, he has mixed feelings about the departure of Isom--a county worker for 34 years after beginning as a sheriff’s deputy.

“I never like to see any employee get hounded out of a job,” the union official said.

Times correspondent Coll Metcalfe contributed to this story.