PROGRAM CHIEF TO LOSE JOB OVER DUI CONVICTION

[Times staff writer Curtis Krueger, who writes about social services, can
be reached at krueger@sptimes.com or by calling (727) 893- 8232.]

The man in charge of Operation PAR, the agency that provides drug and
alcohol treatment to nearly 10,000 people a year, is losing his job after
his employers learned he had been convicted of drunken driving in 1998.

The board of directors of the $18-million non-profit agency learned of CEO
John T. Young's 1997 arrest and subsequent DUI conviction only a couple of
weeks ago, said Shirley Coletti, president and founder of Operation PAR. "I
have never been so shocked," said PAR board chairwoman Susan Latvala. "We
really thought we had found a leader that could carry on our mission while
taking us to the next level. ... He wasn't as good as he sounded."

Young's arrest came one night in December 1997 when a Clearwater police
officer stopped him for running a red light. The officer noted "an odor of
alcoholic beverage," a report said. Young "admitted to drinking 2
scotch/water and taking prescription anti-depressants" according to police
reports, and had a blood-alcohol level of between .093 and .096. He pleaded
not guilty, but eventually was convicted of driving under the influence,
and placed on a year's probation. Coletti said what bothered her most about
this episode was that PAR officials learned of it only recently.

"He did not share that information with us," said Coletti, who also is a
member of PAR's board of directors. Coletti said PAR's board recently gave
Young a vote of no confidence, and that officials were now negotiating with
him over his departure. Latvala said he earned in the neighborhood of
$100,000 per year. "I think we were all quite disappointed that he kept
this information from us," said Dr. Jeane McCarthy, another board member.

The incident prompted heartfelt discussions among board members because PAR
is in the business of helping people who misuse alcohol and drugs, Coletti
pointed out. She said board members asked themselves: Is it fair to force
someone out of a job because of one mistake? But board members decided to
do so because they felt they should have been apprised of the situation,
Coletti said. Young could not be reached for comment Wednesday. His
attorney in the DUI case, Jeffrey Brown, said he was not familiar