Section 116. Chief executive officers of local welfare departments; qualifications; appointment and removal; term

1.    Any  inconsistent
  provision  of  law, notwithstanding, the position of the chief executive
  officer of a county or city social services department, whether referred
  to as commissioner or by other title, shall be  in  the  non-competitive
  class  of  the civil service, except any which is or may hereafter be in
  the  competitive  class.    Appointments  to  such  positions   in   the
  non-competitive class shall be for terms of five years and shall be made
  by  the  appropriate county or city body or officer.  However, no person
  may be appointed to or serve in any such position who does not meet  the
  minimum  qualifications  required  therefor by the state commissioner of
  social services pursuant to section seventeen.
    2.   Any inconsistent provision of law,  general,  special  or  local,
  notwithstanding,  the chief executive officer of a county or city social
  services department shall also be subject  to  removal  or  sanction  in
  accordance with the provisions of section thirty-four of this chapter.
    3.  As used in subdivision one "the appropriate county or city body or
  officer" shall mean and refer:
    (a)    in  the  case of a county, to the board of supervisors thereof,
  except when the county has a county executive, county president,  county
  manager  or  other  officer  or  board  authorized  to  appoint heads of
  administrative departments or the chief executive officer of the  social
  services  department,  in  which  case  it  shall  mean  such executive,
  president, manager, other officer or board;
    (b)  in the case of a city, to the mayor, manager, other  officer,  or
  the  board  having  authority  to  appoint department heads or the chief
  executive officer of the social services department.