BY JIMMY LAWTON
North County This Week

St. Lawrence County Legislators will hold a special meeting Monday where they are expected to appoint a new Commissioner of Social Services.

The meeting will be held at the St. Lawrence County Board of Legislators Chambers at 5:25 p.m.

St. Lawrence County has been working to fill the position since August when former Commissioner Cynthia Ackerman resigned the position after one year in the job.

Ackerman inherited a job that was swirling with controversy with a variety of alleged staffing issues. Her time as the department head also coincided with court delays and other issues related to the pandemic restrictions imposed by the state.

Additionally, she was at the helm when foster parents went public with complaints against the department and some of its employees.

In June, a dozen letters were submitted to the county and shared with North Country This Week by the Law Office of Michael Phillips, Clinton County, which is working to help several biological parents, foster parents and grandparents who say they have struggled to get positive outcomes from the department.

Allegations in the letters include ethical concerns such as DSS employees and agents fostering children and claims that DSS workers and their agents have disregarded medical and professional opinions, treated people with disrespect and kept children from biological and foster parents out of retaliation against those who have spoken against them.

And while most allegations pre-date Ackerman’s appointment to the job, the department has been under a microscope by legislators and the public for several months.

County legislators have been addressing issues within the department including moving DSS legal matters under the purview of the county attorney.

In recent months, the county has been making progress on moving cases through the court system more quickly, although many complaints continue to stream in.

The St. Lawrence County Legislature has hired an independent organization to look into the complaints. It has also apparently hired a law firm to perform interviews with those making complaints about CPS employees. That practice raised questions from Madrid resident Francine Griffin who sought clarity from legislators regarding the practice following a meeting with the law firm.

Attempts by North Country This Week to seek clarification on the matter with County Administrator Ruth Doyle continue to go unanswered.

St. Lawrence County legislators have not publicly shared information regarding the candidates for the commissioner position and it’s unclear at this time how many people applied for or have been considered to take over the job.