TRUMBULL COUNTY Commissioner Tsagaris pushes to get private lawyer for panel

The county prosecutor's office has done an excellent job, said O'Brien and one prosecutor.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
and STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A Trumbull County commissioner said its time to consider firing the county prosecutor's office as the commission's lawyer and hiring a full-time private attorney to represent it.
James Tsagaris listed complaints he has with the prosecutor's office that initiated his call to action:
UThe office takes too long to provide opinions.
UThe office represents all county elected officials, which is a conflict of interest.
UThere has been confusion about an opinion the office rendered in the past.
Tsagaris said he will discuss the matter with the other two commissioners Thursday.
Commissioner Michael O'Brien opposes the plan.
Can't see it
"We have an excellent prosecuting attorney and an able prosecutorial staff with years of experience," O'Brien said. "I can't think of an issue in county government that our prosecutor's office hasn't seen before."
The third commissioner, Joseph Angelo, said he's also "kicking around" the idea of hiring counsel.
Commissioners have a letter from a private attorney Tsagaris contacted about the idea, O'Brien said. He would not say who the lawyer is.
Over the past several weeks, Tsagaris has been critical of Prosecutor Dennis Watkins and his staff for taking too long to investigate what Watkins called excessive purchases by the county purchasing department.
"They could have handled this 10 years ago," Tsagaris said. "I'm glad they found this, and I hope they hurry."
Maintenance department employees work under the commissioners, who approve their bills.
More criticism
Tsagaris also criticized Jim Misocky, the assistant prosecutor who usually represents the commission, for what he said was a change in opinion about whether commissioners are required to seek competitive bids for a roughly $200,000 contract to provide food for the county jail.
"Misocky said no, then he said yes," Tsagaris said. "We would have it in writing if we had our own attorney."
Misocky has said he always told commissioners that they were required to seek competitive bids for any contract more than $15,000.
Tsagaris was directly involved in helping a Youngstown company, Acme Foods, get the jail's business.
Tsagaris also said the prosecutor's office has not been able to come up with legal opinions fast enough for the commissioners to make timely decisions. Commissioners have been waiting for some opinions for years, he said.
Watkins could not be reached.
Not aware
O'Brien said the prosecutor's office always has responded in a timely matter, and he isn't aware that the commissioners are waiting for any opinions.
Hiring a private attorney to represent the commission would not cost the county any more money, Tsagaris reasoned.
Even if the commissioners do hire a private attorney, however, the county prosecutors would still be paid. The county prosecutors handle all felony crimes and provide legal representation for townships and county offices.
State law allows the commissioners to hire their own attorney, but they can't pay more than the county prosecutor's annual salary.
sinkovich@vindy.comsiff@vindy.com