TRUMBULL COUNTY Former director files suit



The plaintiff says the board should be stopped from firing employees.
WARREN -- The former executive director of the Trumbull County Convention and Vistors Bureau wants her job back.
Carol Gordon, who was fired in January, filed a lawsuit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court Wednesday seeking reinstatement.
Dan Novello, a visitor's board member, said officials cannot comment because they hadn't seen the suit.
The suit says Gordon was fired from her job Jan. 17 without just cause, noting that as executive director for 12 years, she was "a skilled, hardworking and loyal employee."
The suit seeks a permanent injunction ordering the bureau to refrain from discharging employees "in violation of public policy."
Objective: Gordon wants full back pay, benefits from the date of her termination and an amount in excess of $25,000 in compensatory damages and $25,000 in punitive damages.
The visitor's bureau board voted unanimously to fire Gordon after an executive session Jan. 17.
Gordon has said she found out from the press and that no members of the board talked to her about the situation or gave her a reason for her termination.
Novello said at the time the board had lost confidence in Gordon and she no longer had its support.
Gordon was first hired in 1985 as the bureau's sales director. She was named interim director early in 1988 and became director that fall. Her yearly salary was $46,250.
The board has not replaced her.