YOUNGSTOWN Arena panel contract change to go to council for vote

The arena board deleted a prominent reference to itself as an advisory panel.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The arena board chairman says he's optimistic city council will be persuaded to approve a contract between the city and the board with a revision narrowly approved by its members.
"I am confident that that can be done. We accepted 99.9 percent of it. We only asked that we have minor language changes, which make some of the board members feel better about the contract," said Robert Van Sickle, chairman.
Van Sickle cast the tie-breaking vote Thursday in a 4-4 deadlock of the arena board with two abstentions on the contract with a revision proposed by member Gil Peterson.
Peterson's revision deletes a prominent reference to the arena board as "an advisory panel," but retains other references to the board's advisory nature. Peterson said he's also optimistic council will accept his revision.
Those voting for the revised contract were Peterson, Paul Lyden, Claire Maluso and Frank Watson. Those against were William Binning, Council President Charles Sammarone, JoAnn Blunt and the Rev. Kelvin Turner. Joseph McRae and Leonard Schiavone abstained.
The members voted after board lawyer Howard Steindler of Cleveland advised them in a conference call that Peterson's amendment did not substantially change the arena board's advisory role under the contract.
Against city's version: Earlier in Thursday's meeting, the board voted 5-4 against the contract as proposed by the city without Peterson's revision. Those voting against were Peterson, Maluso, Lyden, Schiavone and Watson. Those voting in favor were Binning, Sammarone, Blunt and the Rev. Mr. Turner.
Absent from the meeting were former Youngstown Mayor Patrick J. Ungaro and the Rev. Edward P. Noga, pastor of St. Patrick Church.
Councilmen Rufus Hudson, D-2nd; Michael Rapovy, D-5th; and John R. Swierz, D-7th, attended the meeting. A day earlier, council had postponed a final vote on disbanding the board for one week.
The board will get a written opinion from Steindler on the revised contract and meet at 3 p.m. Thursday, two hours before that day's council meeting.
"I think that the language that they're proposing basically alters the contract a lot more than what it says. There's a lot of power in the language," Hudson said, adding that council will ask Martha Bushey, its lawyer, for her interpretation.
The board also approved a motion by Mr. Turner to condemn insults, including those with racial overtones, directed against council members, which recently were made on local talk radio shows.