Relatives of two Butler County judges are among 33 new full-time correction officers who began training this week to work in the new prison.

Olima Yeager, wife of Judge Michael Yeager, and Anita Vicari, sister-in-law of Judge Timothy McCune, are being paid $14.08 an hour.

The county commissioners Wednesday ratified all the hirings in a 2-0 vote with Commissioner James Kennedy abstaining.

He expressed concern about relatives of judges, who hand out sentences, working in the prison.

"It's not about the employees," he said.

While Kennedy wouldn't approve the hirings, he opted not to oppose them either. He said the posts needed to be filled.

Commissioner Jim Lokhaiser also expressed concerns about the new hires, but he said it wouldn't be practical to reject the trainees and restart the hiring process.

Although none of the other new hires are related to elected officials, some have ties to county employees.

For example, Evan Long is the son of a cousin of chief county clerk Bill O'Donnell. O'Donnell said he was initially unaware Long applied for the job.

Warden Rich Gigliotti defended the hirings, saying those applicants meet the qualifications.

Gigliotti said Olima Yeager has extensive experience working in the criminal justice system, including jobs out of the county as a prosecuting attorney and prison inspector.

Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, also voted to ratify the hirings. He said he wanted to abide by Gigliotti's choices.

"He's the man who runs the program," Pinkerton said.

County solicitor Julie Graham confirmed the hirings don't violate internal policy.

She said a person's connection to a county or court official doesn't qualify or disqualify that individual from being hired.

"We hire the best person for the job," Graham said.

She said county policy prohibits employees from being supervised or having their time sheets signed by their relatives.

While county officials were not listed as job references on their relatives' applications, the relationships are acknowledged on those documents. Graham said those inclusions prevent potential conflicts by assigning new hires to departments not overseen by their relatives.

Judge McCune this week resigned from the county prison board, which oversees the building's operations. Tom Holman, deputy court administrator, said McCune resigned from the board to concentrate on the county's program helping inmates re-enter society.