YOUNGSTOWN Charter panel gets extension

The possibility of a police review board is an immediate, high-impact issue.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Charter review commission members now feel safe enough to contemplate at least a few changes that could see the November ballot.
Mayor George M. McKelvey on Thursday extended the commission's term through next year. The extension should give the group enough time to flesh out some tough issues, he said.
"I don't want you to feel rushed," he said.
Commissioners had been concerned about time.
For the November ballot, the board must submit any changes to city council in the next few weeks. Council, if it approves the items, has until early September to put them on the ballot. Otherwise, charter changes must wait two years to go to a vote unless there is a special election or petition drive.
Commissioners were worried because, by law, the board dissolved itself once it has made recommendations. Afterward, the mayor could continue or reconvene the board, but there had been no guarantee until Thursday.
Board members were debating whether to hurry and suggest changes for the November ballot or to hold off and use the better part of two years.
Commissioners started talking Thursday about handling some lesser issues now, since time no longer is a main factor.
They reviewed a long list of charter topics that city hall and the public have suggested the past few months. They picked a few they think they can make a decision about and send to council in the next couple of weeks.
Among them are clarifying residency requirements for the mayor and administrators and possibly lowering the minimum age for elected city office. Now, the mayor must be at least 30, council members at least 25.
Police review board
By far, the immediate issue with the most impact is the suggestion of adding a police review board to the charter.
Residents raised the issue at three of four public meetings the past month, said William M. Carter, the commission chairman.
Instituting a police review board is a far more complicated topic than just recommending the item go into the charter, Carter said.
He knows; Carter was involved when the old review board was created in 1992. That board had no power, being limited to making recommendations to the mayor. It soon fizzled because of lack of interest.
The issue pops up periodically. As recently as 1999, the police union warned that any review board which investigates or disciplines officers is subject to contract negotiation.
Carter said he will wait to see what Law Director John McNally IV brings the commission about the review board. McNally is drawing up proposed legal language for the less weighty issues. McNally said he isn't sure how detailed he will get about a review board.
rgsmith@vindy.com