TRUMBULL COUNTY Health inspector announces resignation

This is the second complaint about the inspector in a year.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- A Trumbull County Health Department inspector resigned Tuesday, two days before a complaint accusing the inspector of demanding bribes, and steering business was registered with the new health commissioner.
The health commissioner, Dr. James Enyeart, said he spent two hours Thursday taking a complaint about Ken Miller, one of two sanitarians responsible for inspecting residential and smaller commercial septic systems.
Patricia Shevel, owner of Wee Excavating, said she told Enyeart that Miller told her she would have to pay to avoid problems with the health department.
"What he basically said was, 'Patty, I'll tell you this: When I am your inspector, you will charge the customer more money, because it will cost you more money,'" she said.
"If that is not asking for money, I don't know what is," she said.
Plaintiff in lawsuit
Shevel is a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the health department over a septic system in Vernon which the health department initially refused to approve. Miller was the inspector.
The interview Thursday was taped, and will become public record if the person registering the complaint chooses to sign the transcript, Enyeart said.
"He asked me if was willing to sign, even if it meant criminal prosecution of individuals, and I said yes," Shevel said.
Enyeart declined to discuss the interview in detail.
"I did interview a person who has a complaint and I would not comment on it until she signs it," he said. "Depending on the issues she ends up signing is how we will handle it and who it will be referred to and what our position would be."
Second complaint
This is the second complaint about Miller, of Greene, within the last year.
In the spring, a Fowler resident told health department officials that Miller had pressured him to have a particular company install a septic system on his property, said Frank Migliozzi, the Health Department's director of environmental health.
The man had already become licensed with the department to install the system himself, he said.
"He [Miller] said he should use an old pro and then gave him a name," Migliozzi said.
He said that there are about 100 people licensed to install septic systems in Trumbull County, but Miller often recommended the same one to people whose systems he was inspecting. Migliozzi declined to say who that was.
"I feel at this point, if we had another individual come forward with similar things and put it in writing, I would look at having a meeting with the union about grounds for possible discipline," he said.
Although he is Miller's direct boss, Migliozzi said the Fowler resident's complaint was handled by George Buccella, who was fired as health department administrator last week.
Couldn't find record
There was no mention of the complaint in Miller's personnel file. Staff at the health department could not immediately locate a written complaint.
"It is vague in my mind, but I do remember it happened," said Buccella. He said he would have given a copy of the letter to Migliozzi and kept one for himself, though he said he'd thrown out many files since losing his job.
He said he did not know why it would not be in Miller's personnel file.
"You have somebody complaining about this or that all the time if they didn't get what they want," he said.
Miller did not return a message left with his wife. He was earning $22.25 an hour from the health department, after a $4-an-hour raise in July.
In a letter dated Oct. 15, Miller told his bosses that he was resigning at the end of the day because of "unforeseen personal reasons."
Because of the sudden departure, Miller will not be able to take advantage of a section of his union contract that would have allowed him to use his accrued vacation time for increased retirement benefits.
In June, Miller told his employers that he planned to make use of the provision and retire Dec. 31, 2003.
He was hired by the health department in January 1990.
siff@vindy.com