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Prison to get temporary warden

Milliron, state working together to find acting leader once current warden retires

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County Judge Daniel Milliron said Friday that he’s working with the state Department of Corrections on plans for appointment of an acting warden to succeed the retiring county prison chief.

Milliron, who has chaired the county prison board since January, also said Friday that he is resigning his seat on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, effective Sept. 30, to devote more time to the county prison operations.

Milliron is one of four county judges appointed to serve, without pay, to the 11-member panel that state lawmakers created in 1978 to promote fairer and more uniform sentencing practices. The group meets quarterly and works on efforts with the state House and Senate judiciary committees.

“It’s an absolute plum appointment that a lot of county judges would like to have,” Milliron said. “But my responsibilities to the Blair County Prison Board are significant, and I had to make a decision to choose one or other because I came to the firm conviction that I couldn’t do both well.”

The prison is on the verge of a transition with the pending retirement of Warden Michael Johnston in October. But it’s also dealing with a recent spike in overtime, personnel-related issues and the pending end-of-year expiration of a contract for inmate medical care.

A few months ago, Milliron named a committee of prison board members to come up with a job description that could be used to solicit applicants for Johnston’s successor.

But that effort went on hold after the state Department of Corrections, in early August, agreed to examine the facility’s operations and make recommendations.

“It would be premature to hire a warden before we have those DOC recommendations,” Milliron said. “They may recommend things we didn’t consider and they may offer some recommendations on how to change things. We don’t want to hire a warden first.”

In the meantime, Milliron said he has been working with the state DOC on an effort that should lead to the appointment of an acting warden to succeed Johnston and assist with the state’s review. That plan is scheduled to be reviewed during Thursday’s monthly prison board meeting.

Commissioner Terry Tomassetti, a member of the prison board and liaison commissioner to the prison, said he appreciates Milliron’s attention to the prison’s operations and his decision to give up his seat on the state sentencing commission.

“I think it’s a positive sign that he wishes to devote his time to the prison,” the commissioner said.

Tomassetti also endorsed the proposal for turning to the state DOC for an interim warden based on the anticipated expertise the person can provide.

“We can then chart a plan for the operations at the prison,” Tomassetti said.

Milliron said he knows changes are needed at the prison. The judge said he was part of three meetings on Friday to deal with prison-related matters, one scheduled before Friday’s court proceedings began, another held before lunch and a third held at the end of the day.

They primarily focused on personnel-related issues, the judge said, including issues that contribute to the facility’s overtime costs. The latest report showed overtime added up to $36,951 for the two-week payroll ending Aug. 17 and to $37,721 for the two-week payroll ending Aug. 31. Overtime for the Aug. 3 two-week payroll was $25,462.

“The underlying reasons for that increase have to be investigated,” Milliron said.

Tomassetti said he would agree.

“We have a major problem going on with prison overtime,” Tomassetti said. “And it’s a clear indication that something is wrong, something needs to be fixed.”

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