Pepper set to hire aides

Almost 100 people have applied to work for Hamilton County Commissioner-elect David Pepper.

Each commissioner is allowed to hire one secretary and one administrative aide.

Forty-four applied for the secretary position, with an salary range of $30,805-$41,933.

Forty-five applied for the administrative assistant position, with an annual salary range of $42,619-$58,011.

Those who applied for the administrative assistant position include the office manager and the communication director of a big union that gave money to Pepper's campaign, a few students, lawyers and several already employed by Hamilton County.

The most prominent of those who applied for that job are:

• Chandra Yungbluth, executive director of the Hamilton County Democratic Party. She might want to read instructions on applications next time, though, because she filled it out improperly, listing her first name first. As a result, she is listed in the county's human Resources data base as Yungbluth Chandra.
• Travis Hines, the field coordinator for Pepper's victorious campaign this fall.
• Bridget Doherty, (pictured above) communications director for Pepper's campaign;
• Chris Seelbach, campaign manager for the unsuccessful attempt to get Jim O'Reilly elected to the Ohio 1st District Court of Appeals as a judge. Seelbach also listed himself as a former campaign manager for Cincinnati Council Member David Crowley.

Pepper has interviewed or will interview about a dozen candidates for the jobs. Choices will be made within 10 days.

The jobs are "unclassified," so they aren't protected by civil service rules. That means Pepper can hire anyone he chooses, even those who haven't formally applied through the county personnel office. Pepper, a lawyer, campaigned on a promise of transparent government and not hiring his relatives, friends or business associates.

Here is the list of the other applicants for the administrative assistant job the county personnel department deemed qualified for the job:

Frances Amatulli, Brandi Ashcraft, Joseph Baldassarre, Diane Beerman, Lynn Boose, Heather Burton, Starlyne Dumas, Brian Dunn, Angelique Ferguson, Rebecca Goodman, Melanie Harris, Lisa Hensley-Boggs, Merry Jo Kerekes, Chris Lawson, Jamie Marengo, Kathleen McNay, Alicia Porter, April Postel, Michelle Rogers, Marie Siebel, Jay Spencer, John Spohn, David Stringer, Lee Thompson, Allison Welch and Jen Winkelman.

Pepper also plans to hire a third person -- who won't be paid with public funds.

He wants to hire a "purely political" person who will work for him personally and be paid for out of his campaign funds.

When the campaign finance reports come out next week, Pepper has hinted that he raised more than $1 million in his successful campaign.

If that's true, he joins the man he beat -- Republican Phil Heimlich -- who also raised over $1 million.