Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014

Borger retiring after 26 years as head of county agency

By Shelley Grieshop
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard

Dale Borger, director of Mercer County Job and Family Services, has announced plans to retire from the agency.

CELINA - The longtime director of Mercer County Job and Family Services will retire in August.
Dale Borger, 60, who has led the agency for more than 26 years, this week submitted a letter of resignation to county commissioners, who formally accepted it Tuesday.
"I don't like the term retirement," Borger told The Daily Standard. "Moving on or transitioning are maybe the better terms."
Borger said he plans to "work at something else" such as tasks at home, his family's farm or a part-time job. Leaving his post will provide him the opportunity to spend more time with his wife, Vivian, who teaches school in Florida, he said.
"We've had a 'commuter' marriage the last eight years," he explained.
The JFS agency oversees various programs and provides services for unemployment, job training, Medi-caid, food and cash assistance, child support, foster care, adoption and more.
The biggest change Borger has witnessed the last two decades was the advance in technology.
"When I first walked into this agency, there were two remote terminals, not PCs ... terminals with modems that used the phone line to connect to JFS in Columbus," he said.
Today, each employee has at least one computer to access, said Borger, who has been a government employee for more than 37 years.
The toughest part of his job is dealing with disgruntled clients who did not qualify for benefits due to some type of ineligibility, he said.
Borger said he's never liked the myth held by some that "poor people got it made" by collecting benefits provided by the government. He invites them to visit his office to see firsthand the struggles others endure.
He proudly boasts the growing number of local residents working instead of receiving Medicaid and SNAP (formerly food stamps). The amount spent on SNAP benefits for county residents has dropped more than 16 percent since 2010, he said.
"Work is a much bigger focus for many people on our programs than when I started as director," he said.
His goal has always been to provide quality services to the people who come to the JFS office for help, he said. He credits his staff for helping him accomplish the feat. He also thanked the commissioners for their cooperation through the years.
"I have found the commissioners always ready to listen to my ideas before making a decision," he said.
Commissioner Jerry Laffin, who first took office in January 1981, has held the post throughout Borger's tenure.
"I told Jerry that he has outlasted yet another county employee," he added.
Additional online story on this date
ROCKFORD - Village officials on Tuesday night discussed underage youth illegally driving four-wheelers in town.
Mayor Amy Joseph told council members she is tired of fielding complaints about the issue. [More]
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
WAPAKONETA - Heritage Trails Park District officials will seek to place a new levy on the Nov. 4 ballot in Auglaize County.
Park district director
MINSTER - Village council members Tuesday night unanimously agreed to begin paying approximately $623,852 to American Municipal Power due to a partnership in a scrapped plan to construct a coal-fired power plant in Meigs County.
CELINA - Mercer County Commissioners on Tuesday approved the purchase of $21,552 worth of equipment for three sheriff's vehicles.
The funds to be paid to Statewide Ford for items such as roof lights and cameras also cover installation, according to a letter from Sheriff Jeff Grey to commissioners.
CELINA - Organizers of the upcoming Taste of Celina discussed options if the outdoor event is hampered by inclement weather.
Several suggestions we
MARIA STEIN - Marion Local Schools Board of Education members last week accepted teacher resignations and closed out the fiscal year during a special 5-minute session.
Local woman opens Oh Pretty Please
CELINA - A penchant for accessorizing her daughter's hair has blossomed into a complete boutique for Krystal Dues.
"I started making hair stuff when she was a baby," Dues said of her daughter, Makayla, who's now 7.
ACME District 4 Tournament: St. Henry Sectional
ST. HENRY - Parkway scored an early run and used solid pitching and defense to keep Celina from countering as the Panthers earned a spot in the District 4 tournament with a 6-0 win over the Bulldogs in the St. Henry sectional loser's bracket final at the Wally Post Athletic Complex.
CELINA - Just looking at the offensive statistics, one may think that Grand Lake narrowly defeated the Cincinnati Steam Tuesday night at Montgomery Field as the Mariners had more hits and more extra base hits.
ACME District 4 Tournament: Minster Sectional
MINSTER - Most of the time, a one-hitter by a pitcher is good enough to get the win.
But as the Cincinnati Reds displayed in Monday's loss to the San Diego Padres, it doesn't always happen that way.