NEWTON FALLS As some clam up, will mayor step down?

One council member was shocked by the mayor's resignation threat.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
NEWTON FALLS -- Many city residents and business people are reluctant to talk about the issue that may cause Mayor Patrick Layshock to resign.
Some council members want to change the city charter to limit the mayor's authority, restricting his official duties to voting only to break a tie. Layshock says he'll resign if that happens.
"If it's not broke, don't fix it," said Ed Nutter as he gave Joe Plekowski of Newton Township a trim in Nutter's Broad Street barbershop.
Nutter, a Portage County resident who has owned Ed's Barber Shop for 37 years, believes Layshock is doing a good job.
Many residents and business people approached in town last week declined to discuss the controversy, explaining it's a small town and they didn't want to get in the middle.
Shocking threat: Councilman Ralph Gillespie, the sponsor of the legislation, was appointed to the committee to review council's rules and procedures. He says he was shocked by Layshock's resignation threat.
Gillespie said the proposed ordinance, which is set for public hearing and a vote Monday, is to clarify council's procedures and rules. He wasn't out to get the mayor or force him to resign.
"I don't want him to resign," Gillespie said. "I don't think that's fair to the people who elected for him or to the community to leave us shorthanded."
One rule change would limit to three minutes a person's public comments. Public comments at the beginning of the meeting would be limited to items on the agenda, and those at the end of the session are open to any topics.
The change would bring more order and possibly shorten council meetings, the councilman said.
Presiding over meetings: The mayor is the presiding officer of council meetings, but Gillespie said the mayor is to preside over meetings the way council wants them run.
The proposed change also would clarify whether the mayor is a full member of council or a member of council with restrictions. Under the charter, the mayor is the ceremonial head of the city, presides over council meetings and votes only in the case of a tie.
"The charter says that the legislative part of council consists of five members -- four ward council members and one at-large," Gillespie said.
Those members write and sponsor ordinances and resolutions for what the body wants to do.
"It doesn't say six members," Gillespie said.
The mayor is a council member with restrictions, he said. The mayor may vote in cases of a tie and can introduce legislation. Gillespie considers an introduction of legislation separate for sponsoring legislation. Sponsoring is restricted to full council members, he said.
"It's just defining what the mayor's responsibilities are and what council's responsibilities are and what the public's responsibilities are," Gillespie said. "I would hope that the mayor would understand that."
"I think council is wrong," said Louis Perekovich, a lifelong city resident, sitting with a group of men inside AmVets Post 112. "Why do we have a mayor, just to be a figurehead? I think it's stupid."
dick@vindy.com