The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners has turned down Executive Thomas Muller's recommendation to lead the human services department.

At the board's March 12 meeting, commissioners rejected by a vote of 5-4 Bethlehem resident Thomas Walker to serve as county human services director.

Walker has served 13 years as the human services director for the Lehigh County Conference of Churches.

Voting in opposition to Walker's appointment were Chairwoman Lisa Scheller and commissioners Vic Mazziotti, Scott Ott and Michael Schware.

After the meeting, Mazziotti said Walker did not possess enough experience to run the county department of more than 270 employees. Mazziotti said Walker managing 12 employees with the conference of churches was not adequate experience.

"He wasn't really ready for that position [director]," Mazziotti said.

County Director of Administration Daniel McCarthy expressed disappointment with the board's decision.

"There was no comment and there was no discussion," he said of the vote.

Walker also previously served as a volunteer on Lehigh County's mental health advisory board.

McCarthy said he will present another candidate to the commissioners for the human services director position in the near future.

In other business, the commissioners unanimously agreed a board member should serve as a representative on the Allentown/Lehigh County Commission to End Chronic Homelessness.

The proposal was presented by Commissioner Geoff Brace. "We have got to figure out exactly what the county's role is," Ott said.

The commissioners also approved committee meetings held on an ongoing basis on the first floor of the government center, where regular board meetings are currently held. Committee meetings were previously held in the fourth floor conference room of the government center.

Commissioners Tom Creighton and David Jones Sr. voted against changing the location of the meetings. Both commissioners said they believed the current location of the committee meetings was acceptable.