LOCKPORT — Niagara County legislators of both parties said last week they want to know more about the management record of a nursing home administrator who is a leading candidate for county manager.

The state Health Department Web site shows that as of a July inspection update, The Villages of Orleans, headed by Jeffrey M. Glatz, had significantly more deficiencies than the average nursing home.

Medicare and Medicaid records obtained by The Buffalo News show an assortment of patient care violations, including injuries, that regulators said were not adequately investigated by Glatz’s staff.

A Medicaid report said two patients at the Albion facility had unexplained bruises in 2008 that regulators thought weren’t investigated thoroughly enough.

“I might look into that myself,” said Legislator Paul B. Wojtaszek, R-North Tonawanda, a onetime state Medicaid fraud prosecutor whose old job also included looking into patient abuse.

There also were complaints about the documentation of care plans for eight residents that “did not meet professional standards of quality,” the regulatory report said.

Democrats saw the material as an opening to go after Glatz, who did not return phone messages left at his home and office.

“We have to make sure every t is crossed and every i is dotted,” said Legislator Renae Kimble, D-Niagara Falls. “As the elected representatives, we are going to be held accountable, which I don’t have a problem with, and we have to make sure we have someone there we can trust. He is not trustworthy.”

Glatz’s background and education have been points of dispute for the search committee. Republicans have been trying to push forward the candidacy of the former North Tonawanda Board of Education president, while Democrats have been trying hard to block him.

More time has been spent arguing about Glatz than about any other applicant.

At first, the primary Democratic objection to Glatz was that he didn’t meet the county’s requirement for a master’s degree in business administration or public administration. His post-graduate degree is in health facilities management.

Now, his performance is in the spotlight, as the search committee prepares to select finalists Wednesday.

The Health Department reported 34 deficiencies in the Orleans County nursing home in the past year; the statewide average is 23.

There was “potential for more than minimal harm” in almost all the deficiencies found since 2008, the Web site says, but none of them resulted in actual harm to patients.

“If he’s the administrator and he can’t run that operation, what does that say about him?” said Minority Leader Dennis F. Virtuoso, D-Niagara Falls, a search committee member. “If his performance is poor operating a nursing home that all his education is in, how will he do at the county?”

“In fairness, that type of information for any of the candidates would be worth asking the question,” said Legislator Gerald K. Farnham, R-Lockport, chairman of the search committee.

“His record as a nursing home manager is certainly important to review,” said Legislator W. Keith McNall, R-Lockport, whose Administration Committee will choose one candidate to send to the full Legislature for a final vote.

“This record shows me he cannot get the job done,” Kimble said, “that he has deficiencies that are troubling, especially when you have patients that are abused and plans that are required under the law not being followed. I could not trust him to run over $300 million of programs that we have in the county.”

tprohaska@buffnews.comnull