CNY Link, March 16, 2009, Monday

CNY Link

March 16, 2009, Monday

CNY Link

Krause ends two-decade career as personnel officer

Martha E. Conway 03/16/09

Just about three months shy of what would have been her 23rd anniversary with Madison County, Personnel Officer Mary Krause announced her resignation March 4. The move puts Krause right where she left off in college: the Public Employment Relations Board.

A graduate of Liverpool High School and Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations, Krause began her career with Madison County as a technician trainee in June 1986. She was appointed personnel officer in August 1990.

Krause said she was pointed in the direction of labor relations through interest surveys taken in high school. She said she wound up applying to Cornell to pursue studies in the field.

“I arrived to find 90 percent of the class already knew they wanted to go to law school,” Krause said. “Myself, I wasn’t so sure.”

Krause said she always was interested and involved in student government in high school and student union in college. She said a lecture brought her interests in labor and government brought two loves together for her, and an internship in PERB brought her to seek opportunities that combined those interests.

“I found this job in the paper,” Krause said.

She moved to Canastota in 1990.

Krause credits her parents’ support of education as the cornerstone of her own love for learning.

“They made sure we did what we were expected to do,” Krause said, adding that her first six years of education began in Catholic school. “Between my parents and the foundation of my early education, I have always enjoyed learning. I always loved reading.”

Krause said the job is interesting by its very nature.

“Because it is so diverse,” Krause said. “Because we’re a multi-dimensional personnel department – labor relations, civil service, employee health and safety – and that’s the other opportunity that has been granted to me here at the county.”

Having to be a jack-0f-all-trades to navigate the broader responsibilities in the office have given Krause a broad base of knowledge, including a working knowledge of risk management, civil service administration, human resource management, employee benefits, policy and procedure development and the budget oversight responsibilities all county department heads have.

In addition, Krause served as budget officer in 2008 for the preparation of the 2009 budget. She said she also has served for four years on the county’s budget advisory committee.

Copier contract negotiations for the entire campus also was on her plate, and she said the many special projects she has worked on gave her the opportunity to work with others, such as helping to developing a purchasing policy.

“I visit the board [of supervisors] office almost daily,” Krause said. “Prior to the administrative assistant position being created, if there was something the board chairman or government operations chairman needed done, I was willing to do those things – they were fun to work on and interesting.”

Krause also served as the county’s Freedom of Information Law officer for years until County Administrator Paul Miller assumed those responsibilities earlier this year.

Since coming to the county, Krause said she earned her master of public administration.

“Madison County has always afforded its employees continuing employment and training opportunities, and I was someone who benefitted from that, as well,” Krause said.

Krause, active in state associations in her field, said Madison County has always supported association involvement.

“It’s not only the training programs that are extremely valuable,” Krause said. “It’s not cliché that networking opportunities are very valuable in sharing information with colleagues from across the state.”

Over the years, demands on municipal personnel departments have increased, Krause said.

“Employee safety requirements have increased exponentially since the early 1990s,” Krause said. “I credit the County Board of Supervisors for taking employee safety seriously. They have really supported the department’s training efforts.”

Krause said she and her staff have worked with a safety consultant to secure grants from the state Department of Labor for hazard abatement.

“We are in our seventh cycle of hazard abatement board grants to fund safety initiatives,” Krause said. “We have been able to share that information with other associations and explain how we apply for and receive HAB grants.”

Krause said the future of employment will likely be small business and consultancies.

“Some folks benefit from continued training, and there are some who need to consider seriously branching out on their own – say become a consultant in their area of expertise,” Krasue said. “That and small business is the way of the future. Evaluate your interests and your areas of expertise and how you can offer those services yourself.”

Krause said employees should always exhibit the personal characteristics in the interest and passion of what the company or employer provides and be willing to utilize skills and abilities to do that work but also to extend themselves more, whether through training or additional duties.

It’s not unusual for young adults to wind up on a different path than the one they chose out of high school, Krause said.

“There has to be an allowance that everyone has a different path and can have many different twists, turns and stops,” Krause said. “It probably makes parents more comfortable if they feel their kids know what they’re doing when they graduate. But we all change. Interests change. We find more and different career paths we can follow. We have a society and economy in which people will hold a number of jobs and they might be very different jobs. We are able to do and be employed in the areas we are most interested and passionate about. It is very acceptable to not be able to answer the question, ‘What do you want to do?’”

Mentors are essential, Krause said, and people need not knock themselves to find them.

“If we stick to our interests and passions, the mentors come,” Krause said. “The people who can maybe point us in the right direction … we end up bumping into those folks. Try something you may or may not be interested in. There are many resources in the community – our Career and Training Center, for one. They can help identify areas people are passionate about. It’s all about a process, and it’s okay to have many stops along the way.”

Krause invokes the name of Francis Perkins, secretary of labor during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.

“She knew that’s what she wanted to do,” Krause said. “She didn’t want to run for office. I enjoy being a doer, part of the administration of government, and I’m not going to rule out down the road sometime in the future running for some political body. But I like being a political appointee.”

During her time with Madison County, Krause has worked under four board chairmen and six Government Operations Committee chairmen.

“I attribute my ability to work with people in that role with my respect and understanding of that role and position,” Krause said. “Even though a new face was put on the face of board chairman at different times, my job as personnel director was to work with them. All of them have individual characteristics, but they’ve all been good men to work with and for. Some may rely on committee chairmen more than others, and some may keep responsibilities more within their office than others, but that was really more about how they organized and did their work.”

Krause said she learned something from each Government Operations Committee chairman.

“Gordon Hull, John Gladney, Rick Bargabos, Alex Stepanski, Dave Puddington, John Henderson … it is interesting to observe that each of them were and are effective Government Operations Committee chairs,” Krause said. “There were small differences in how they conducted meetings and how much information they wanted ahead of time. There was one I spoke with on an almost daily basis, then some just before the meeting. Others wanted a meeting before the meeting, but each of them was very interested and invested in the responsibilities of the committee.”

The best part of the job is coming in every day and doing different things.

“The best part of the job is the diversity,” Krause said.

The responsibilities cross every segment of public service, Krause said, and someone in her positions must be knowledgeable in the field, exercise great diplomacy and have empathy for others’ circumstances.

“Those characteristics are important whether you’re dealing with individual employees, unions or board members,” Krause said.

There are a lot of misperceptions about her job, Krause said, and she knows at times the job may appear to be one of rigidity.

“I would like our county employees to know sometimes over the years, even though I shared their frustrations, I had a responsibility to uphold certain laws, rules and regulations,” Krause said. “Following law, rule and procedure is a statutory regulation. It’s a big part of civil service.”

Krause said she would also like the community to know the county’s personnel department door is open, and the staff is approachable, whether by phone email or personal visit.

“I think many people have interacted with us through the exam process, but if any resident is out there and interested in county employment, the staff is here to help them with doing that in any way they can,” Krause said.

Krause, a female success story by any measure, said she recommends the mission of Girls Inc. of Central New York to guide women of all ages.

“Girls Inc. aims ‘To raise girls to be smart, strong and bold,’” said Krause, who is a past president of the organization. “So educate yourself. Receive as much training and education as possible – man or woman, that’s a big stepping stone outside the trades. Be strong in your self-esteem and belief in yourself so you are strong in the face of criticism. Finally, take risks and challenge yourself.”

Former Board of Supervisors Chairman Rocco J. DiVeronica said he has worked with Krause for many years.

“I have worked with Mary in different aspects of county business,” DiVeronica said. “From public relations to union contracts, she has been very professional and business-like.”

DiVeronica said Krause’s conduct of her responsibilities was pivotal in avoiding litigation in sensitive situations.

“If she had handled things differently, lawsuits could arise,” DiVeronica said. “She knows everything about our insurances and every part of the [county] budget. I think people are going to miss her interaction. I am glad for her. Maybe the new job will come with less stress. People don’t realize how much pressure there is in county business.”

Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Richard O. Bargabos offered some comments last week at the County Board of Supervisors’ meeting. Bargabos, who chairs the Government Operations Committee, thanked Krause for her service to the county.

“You are an exceptional individual, outstanding manager and valued resource o the County Board of Resources,” Bargabos said. “You’ve developed a broad base of programs and developed a highly capable staff. You are hard-working, dedicated and never shied away from any responsibility. You always ran with the ball and did things outside of personnel because they had to get done. You never said, ‘I can’t,’ or ‘I don’t have time.’ We are very grateful and appreciative, and we’re going to miss you.”

In her free time, Krause plays golf, reads and has a long history of volunteerism with Birchwood in Liverpool, Hospice, Community Action Partnership, BRiDGES and Liberty Resources.

“In conducting myself personally, I have always enjoyed being involved in the community,” Krause said. “Whether through community service, serving on boards of directors and taking on leadership roles in those capacities, if people have the time, making contributions to the community can be an important addition to our own lives, and I recommend it to anyone.”