Two top officials for Bay Aging remain out of the office this week and the agency board’s chairman said he is not certain if they will return to their posts.
Chairman Jimmie Carter said Monday that both Bay Aging president Allyn Gemerek and his wife, Kay Sheldon, the agency’s vice president for administration, have not been in their offices since late February. Carter declined to indicate why they are not at work.
However, Joshua Gemerek, Allyn’s son who is vice president of Bay Family Housing, a Bay Aging division, said Tuesday he returned to work in early April after missing more than one month because his 7-year-old son had suffered neurological and other medical problems. The child required surgery, was hospitalized, and is now convalescing at their James City County home but has not yet been able to return to school.
The Gazette-Journal was not able to reach Allyn Gemerek or Kay Sheldon for their comments.
Last Thursday, the Bay Aging board of directors met in open session for almost two hours at the Port Town Village apartment complex meeting room in Urbanna that the agency operates. The board did not discuss Gemerek or Sheldon during the open meeting.
Then, the board went into closed session for about two hours, returned briefly to open session and announced that no votes had been taken during the closed session that was called to discuss personnel matters and consultation with an attorney.
Just prior to the meeting, Carter said that the board’s legal counsel, B.H. Hubbard of Irvington, was not going to attend the meeting or the closed session because of scheduling problems.
Several members of Bay Aging’s executive board were scheduled to meet with Hubbard in Irvington yesterday, but Carter indicated on Monday that he does not expect any immediate announcement to come from that meeting.
Carter said he expects some announcement about Gemerek and his wife might be made at the agency board’s June meeting or possibly before.
Gemerek said in a Feb. 21 interview that Bay Aging is planning to change some of its procedures in response to two audit reviews of the agency, one by the Virginia Department of Social Services, Office of Community Services (OCS) and the other by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
OCS had questions about Gemerek’s use of an agency vehicle along with his procedure of reporting mileage for tax purposes.
Also, OCS questioned use of credit cards by the agency and Gemerek’s salary and benefits.
Carter said Monday that most issues raised in the audits have been resolved, with the exception of one vehicle that may have been purchased without following the proper acquisition process.
Because of questions raised in the audits, Carter said, the agency board will look to hire a consultant to conduct an independent salary review of Bay Aging and its divisions.
Also, Carter said the agency board is taking steps to more carefully monitor travel and expenses of its staff.
On a separate issue, raised during the open meeting last Thursday, Carter said Bay Aging, a non-profit organization that offers services such as senior care and regional transit, plans to shut down its for-profit division, Bay Custom Homes.
Carter said that economic conditions dictated that Bay Aging get out of the for-profit housing market.
During its open meeting, the Bay Aging board approved audits for its Gloucester and Montross housing operations.