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Home > Blogs > Butler County News and Issues > Archives > 2009 > March > 07 > Entry
Fox to retire March 31
Butler County Children Services Director Michael Fox plans to end his epic and controversial career March 31, he said in an exclusive interview Friday, March 6.
In more than two decades as a state lawmaker, several terms as a county commissioner and nearly two years as Children Services director (read a brief bio of Fox I previously posted on this blog here), Fox as been reviled by some, elected by the populace 15 times and scrutinized by the FBI for years,
Fox said Friday he’s “tired,” and can do more good as a private activist than an agency director.
“I plan to continue being an advocate for children and families and doing whatever I can to make the system better,” Fox said. “I think at this point I can be more effective outside the system.”
Fox has pushed through a raft of reforms since he stepped down from the county commission to take over the agency in 2007. Reeling from the death of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel in foster care, the agency’s director had been fired and governing board disbanded.
Within months, Fox increased screening of foster parents, decreased caseloads for social workers and increased unannounced visits of homes in the system. And he has balanced the agency’s budget by focusing on family preservation over foster placement.
“Child welfare in Butler County is much better than it was 20 months ago,” Fox said. “I’m going to miss the opportunity to be directly involved in directing that change.”
“Child welfare is a long way from being where it needs to be,” he added.
But every step along the way was hard-fought with criticism, including two recent policy changes that drew fire from commissioners. The first gave caseworkers the ability to ignore agency rules if they thought it was in the best interest of a child. The second gives traditional families preference in foster and adoption placements.
Meanwhile he has juggled personal financial problems — including a foreclosure filing against his house — serious health concerns, and an ongoing FBI investigation into his role in a fiber optic contract that led to the county auditor pleading guilty to bank fraud.
Fox, 60, currently makes $116,603 and has 44 years in the Ohio public employee retirement system. He said he plans to do some writing, working on a couple of screenplays and a children’s book about a Canada goose who doesn’t fly south for the winter.
“I’m going to try to simplify my life as much as I can,” he said.
Commissioner Charles Furmon said the county will conduct a national search to find a new director once Fox submits his retirement notice.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment | Categories: Children Services
Comments
By G-Dog
March 7, 2009 7:06 AM | Link to this
Good riddance you self-serving bag of wind…..
By Curious
March 7, 2009 9:10 AM | Link to this
Couple of Questions: Given the long FBI investigation, will Fox lose his goverment pension should he be convicted for any crime committed while in office? And, how would a 60 year old, one who spent four years in college, earn 44 years of credit in Ohio’s retirment system? Plus, what’s his annaul payout and how much did his two years at Children’s services drive that payment up? I suspect that the answers to the latter questions may be eye opening.
By VietVet
March 7, 2009 9:46 AM | Link to this
What’s a matter Mickey, are the feds gettin’ too close? Problem is, he’ll be replaced by another joke we fondly refer to as an elected official. Who’s next in line to assume a position of cronyism in this fiasco we call Butler County government? Don’t wait until March 31st. Just leave now. Doesn’t matter. Commissioners- remember- stay focused! We need to fill this position with another one of the club boys as soon as possible.
By City
March 7, 2009 11:10 AM | Link to this
Talking about someone who runs when things get ‘hot’, goes to show what type of people we’re voting for,wouldnt you say?run fox run
By City
March 7, 2009 11:11 AM | Link to this
Talking about someone who runs when things get ‘hot’, goes to show what type of people we’re voting for,wouldnt you say?run fox run
By City
March 7, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this
Talking about someone who runs when things get ‘hot’, goes to show what type of people we’re voting for,wouldnt you say?run fox run
By Joe The Plumber
March 7, 2009 5:38 PM | Link to this
C’ya… it’s about time.
By The Hamilton Kid
March 7, 2009 7:33 PM | Link to this
History will remember Mike Fox as a patriot who cared enough for kids to do what he could with his gifts; none of us will remember you spineless lemmings who pile on him when he is down.
By Bill Morrison
March 7, 2009 7:45 PM | Link to this
Mike has left BCCS and the families it serves better than he found them. If everyone else can say the same for themselves, maybe some day, Butler County will have a children services agency we can all be proud of.
By stillalive
March 8, 2009 12:22 PM | Link to this
When are all of you going to wake up to the fact that the real crime is the $8million’s in fiber in the ground that Chuck Furmon approved with no prefprmance bond on the contractor. They ran off with millions of tax payer’s $’s. Chuck is throwing everone under the bus to cover up for himself! Chuck you are an evil man who delights in destroying good people and families. God will get you in the end!
By Gary
March 9, 2009 9:58 AM | Link to this
I would like to say Mike Fox has dona alot of good things for our county and he city of Hamilton he will be missed he truly is one of the best this county has had, but not so much concerning outher good ole boys its time to get them out of office we need new faces on the commision
By We are the Change
March 9, 2009 11:10 AM | Link to this
“Humanitarian?” “Guardian of children and families?” I’d rather leave my children in the care of a rabid wolf. Think of all the money we are going to save now that Mikey is no longer around to wheel and deal with lobbyists, Dynus, and other fellow shysters. A book about Canadian geese? How about one on American pigs?
By Shep
March 9, 2009 11:29 AM | Link to this
Hamilton’s nightmare is over; Mike couldn’t have 44 years in PERS; would have to start at 16; he did go to college. He killed Hamilton’s growth when he fought the annexation in 1995; killed jobs and development for some personal gain. He never represented Hamilton at the state or on the commission. He got the county job to pad his pension; fix was on. Sad for Butler County. Glad it’s over.
By M
March 9, 2009 11:35 AM | Link to this
Well, it appears Mike must have been an advanced child, graduating High School at 12 or 13 and then College at 16. Started right after college at 16 into the “system”. Amazing how much the taxpayers have to shell out to “elected” officials that seem to have made some adjustments to the system that don’t seem to happen in the “private” job market. I’d say he is leaving as part of an agreement not to be prosecuted by the Feds….. Just a wild guess.
By car plant
March 9, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this
ask mike about the car plant he stopped from coming to hamilton? this plant would have had a work force of 3000 workers
By Kyle
March 9, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this
Someone mentioned Mike fighting the annexation in 1995 as a failure? You have to be kidding? Why in the heck would we want even more valuable real estate becoming part of the “success story” which is Hamilton? That land stayed in Fairfield Township where it belonged, and both entities benefit from the JEDD…
By Lilly
March 13, 2009 10:44 PM | Link to this
“National Search” is this the same kind of nation search they did when the hired the county administrator, and the last director of children services. How about the national seach for a new EMA Director, that position wasn’t even advertised in the local papers much less nationally. The commissioners are check their political donors seeing who needs these new jobs.