Rollover crash injures 2
American Idol 2012 finale
News hounds (5/24/12)
Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > March > 09
Monday, March 9, 2009
Fox’s farewell
Below is a copy of Children Services Director Michael Fox’s notice of retirement he sent Butler County commissioners Friday (read the full story here).
Before I post that, I have gotten numerous questions about how, at 60, Fox has 44 years in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. Here are Fox’s words on that:
“Because of the way OPERS works I am able to purchase so many years of credit…transfer the time when I was a teacher…purchase additional credit for a percentage of years served as an elected official…”
“I actually have around 35 years in actual work…and around nine years of purchased credit which is quite expensive…I purchased 6 years when I left the legislature and I’ll purchase almost four years now.”
Now here is Fox’s letter to commissioners:
All
Attached you will find my confirmation from the Ohio Public Retirement System, acknowledging my application to retire effective March 31 of this year.
I am grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to serve children and families of Butler County as Director of Children Services. To everything there is a season, so says the Bible, and my season for retirement has come. I will continue my interest and involvement in matters of public policy and particularly matters that affect the well-being of children.
I am always available to assist you in helping to improve child welfare on a volunteer basis. As you know this cause is close to my heart. Child Welfare across America remains “broke.” I can report to you that during my tenure I did my best to fix the child welfare system in our county and I know that we were able to make many important improvements. Yet, much work remains to be done.
As I leave I know with certainty that I made a positive difference for our children and families. I will forward to you a summary of the many changes we made that are important to children. I hope that you will resist efforts to go back to the “old” way of doing business. The pressure to do so will begin immediately. I encourage you to continue to move down the path we have traveled—- having an agency that is more open, accountable, and effective in meeting the needs of children.
One of the most important things I have been able to accomplish in my short tenure has been to reconnect our agency to the public. They are our partners and that fact should never be forgotten as it has often been in the past. Our policies, practices, and actions during my tenure have reflected their values and priorities.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Sincerely,
mike
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: Children Services
Commissioners to review Children Services preference for traditional marriage
Butler County commissioners never approved a new Children Services policy that gives preference in foster and adoption cases to traditional married families, and at least one commissioners opposes it.
“I don’t agree with it. It should’ve been run through the (county) prosecutor,” said Commissioner Charles Furmon.
The policy, created in December (more detail on that here), doesn’t prevent single parents, unmarried couples or same-sex couples from fostering children or adopting. But it gives preference to married couples. This has drawn ire from single foster parents, gay foster parents and civil rights activists.
“It doesn’t make sense to keep certain groups of people from having equal rights,” Furmon said. “The main thing is caring people that have the wherewithal, ability and desire to take care of kids in a safe manner, they way they should be cared for.”
Commission President Donald Dixon said he needs more information before forming an opinion on the new policy, and would like the full board to review it.
This likely won’t happen at the commission’s Monday, March 9, meeting, Dixon said because Commissioner Gregory Jolivette is out of town.
“I’m sure that the whole commission will take a look at the policy and other policies that have been put into effect recently,” Dixon said. “I think (Children Services Director Michael Fox) sort of got the cart ahead of the horse. The commission did not have any input on that and it’s an issue we’re going to have to discuss.”
Fox said he created the issue after a local gay couple adopted a 2-year-old girl. He said it’s not meant to discriminate, but is based on evidence that children do better in traditional married families.
When asked for that data, Fox produced a series of studies conducted by the Family Research Council, which describes itself on its Web site as “as an organization dedicated to the promotion of marriage and family and the sanctity of human life in national policy,” including “combating the homosexual agenda.”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment | Categories: Children Services
