At meeting, council sets up bid procedures

WARREN -- The Senior Services Advisory Council approved four months' worth of work Thursday to establish formalized bid procedures.
It was member Capri Cafaro's first meeting and, in contrast to her appointment, was uneventful.
Cafaro, 28, of Liberty and Sheffield Village, ran unsuccessfully for Congress two times. She is the daughter of J.J. Cafaro, executive vice president of the Cafaro Co.
Commissioner Paul Heltzel had questioned whether she belonged on the panel at the time Commissioner Dan Polivka recommended her last month -- saying he feared Cafaro's powerful family might have undue influence over the council's work.
The only item on the council's agenda was to vote to send the council's inch-thick bidding procedures document to the county commissioners and prosecutor's office for review. It was approved unanimously.
Jack O'Connell, council chairman, said when the bidding procedures are approved, the council can begin to accept requests from service providers and recommend services to the commissioners. He hoped that would be within a month or so.
The council was appointed by the commissioners to oversee spending for the $2.4 million being raised annually by the 0.75-mill, five-year seniors levy approved by voters last November.
O'Connell said the transportation part of the bid procedures will be submitted separately when it is complete.