Romaine makes a good hire for Suffolk DSS

One of the most glaring problems facing new Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine is proper oversight of the Department of Social Services, a vital agency for its most poor and vulnerable citizens.

For too long, the department, consisting of about 1,000 employees, has been criticized for its poor handling of basic services and, most tragically, for the neglectful processing of child abuse complaints preceding the death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva, as cited in a recent special grand jury report. Immediately after that highly critical investigation was released, DSS Commissioner Frances Pierre tendered her resignation and Romaine set about looking for a replacement.

His choice of former Nassau County Social Services Commissioner John Imhof, 79, for the $193,626 Suffolk post seems like a good one, especially for an agency in need of a leader with a steady hand and familiarity with such a department’s complex human demands and the bureaucratic structure that might hinder proper responses.

Imhof, a mental health expert, served in Nassau from 2006 until 2019 for both Democratic and Republican county executives. This background sets the right tone for such a sensitive post. Imhof must free the agency of the political considerations and bureaucratic slowdowns that have mired essential services for Suffolk’s neediest residents.

The recent Valva grand jury report, overseen by the Suffolk district attorney’s office, underlined what grave problems can result from poor oversight of the Social Services department. Perhaps the most glaring finding was that serious warnings about Valva’s mistreatment were marked as “unfounded” 10 times by the DSS. Valva’s father and his fiance were later convicted of murdering the little boy who literally froze to death when made to sleep in the family’s unheated garage. Yet then-Commissioner Pierre and her staff cited existing state confidentiality laws when asked for more information by the district attorney’s investigators, which essentially blocked county officials from facing further legal scrutiny and accountability.

For Imhof, job one will be making sure the Valva disgrace doesn’t happen again. He must ensure the office is adequately staffed so that supervisors and caseworkers can appropriately respond to reports of child abuse. Installing Anne Oh, formerly a principal assistant district attorney from the Suffolk DA’s office, as the department’s chief counsel, is a smart way to emphasize more stringent oversight.

With Romaine’s backing, Imhof should look to add resources and training and improve essential services, including the call waiting time for DSS assistance through Suffolk’s 311 telephone system. Imhof should thoroughly review other parts of his agency that deal with services like welfare, homeless housing, child and adult protective services, foster care, Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Coming from Nassau, Imhof appears to be a political outsider with an insider’s knowledge of how a well-run Social Services department should work.