MAHONING COUNTY Smith steps down as commissioners' clerk

The clerk said he was looking for a job before he was disciplined by commissioners.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Thomas Smith has resigned as Mahoning County commissioners' clerk, a job he's held since 1998.
Smith has accepted a job as borough manager of Seven Fields, Pa., near Cranberry Township. He starts there Nov. 1.
"I'm excited about the move. It's a unique opportunity," said Smith, 31.
The move comes four months after Smith was at the center of a controversy in the commissioners' office. He was given a five-day suspension for insubordination.
Commissioners Ed Reese and David Ludt voted in favor of the suspension. Commissioner Vicki Allen Sherlock was ill and unable to attend that meeting, but said later that she would have voted against the action because she felt it was unfair.
Smith said the flap figured into his decision to leave, though he had been looking for another job before that happened.
Background: A 1996 graduate of Slippery Rock University, he recently received a master's degree in public administration and urban studies from The University of Akron.
Before becoming commissioners' clerk, Smith was an auditor with the county Child Support Enforcement Agency and a grant researcher in the office of management and budget. He is a native of Ellwood City, Pa.
Smith said Seven Fields does not require its employees to live within the borough, so he plans to maintain his residence in Youngstown for now and possibly relocate later.
"It's been an interesting experience working here, definitely," he said.
Smith said he will continue working here on a very limited basis even after he starts his new job so there can be a smooth transition to his successor.
Vacant: But Reese said he thinks commissioners should leave the job vacant for now, allowing other staff members to absorb Smith's duties.
Besides saving Smith's $38,934 annual salary, leaving the job vacant will help "de-politicize" the position, Reese said.
"Throughout the years, the clerk has always been a very political position, serving at the pleasure of commissioners. I think it's time to change that," Reese said.
Sherlock said she'll talk with Reese and Ludt before making up her mind on whether to fill the job. She does want to ensure that someone is on board to coordinate the commissioners' community-development grant program and serve as a contact person for townships and the public.
"Those were some of the things Tom did for us and I think he did an excellent job," Sherlock said. "I'm sorry to see him go."
Ludt said Smith "has a bright future and he's going to do well wherever he goes."
He would be in favor of consolidating the clerk's duties into other staff positions, but agreed with Sherlock that someone must be assigned to coordinate the grant program.
Commissioners started the program two years ago and fund it with revenue from a 0.5 percent sales tax. Money is given to subdivisions each year for community development projects.
bjackson@vindy.com