Emotions are mixed for lame-duck mayor Praznik

Mayor George Praznik say he'll be glad when the pressures of the job are lifted.
& lt;a href=mailto:yovich@vindy.com & gt;By TIM YOVICH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- Lame duck-Mayor George Praznik can't wait for the end of the year to roll around.
"It's going to be a big weight off my shoulders," Praznik said of his leaving office at year's end.
Praznik was soundly defeated in the Democrat May primary election by Arthur U. Magee, former Hubbard mayor and long-time Trumbull County commissioner.
Magee received 71 percent of the vote.
The night of the election, Praznik reacted with bitterness.
"The both of us took it hard," said Praznik of his reaction and that of his wife, Nancy.
"People came out and said they didn't want you anymore," the mayor reflected.
"I don't know if it's bitterness. It is disappointment," he noted, adding that so many people told him they were going to vote for him and, after balloting, said they had cast a ballot for him.
Come the first of the year, Praznik said, the pressure will be off him because he won't have to worry if the streets are plowed or if the streetlights are working.
Accomplishments
Praznik believes he did a good job, and his wife worked hard putting together Founders Day and other community projects.
But the mayor believes that a low voter turnout and North Main Street being torn up last winter with the construction of a water line brought down his administration.
Residents "want everything but don't want any disruptions," Praznik said.
He expects people will be complaining for the next three years as sidewalks are replaced in the downtown.
Praznik pointed out that even an hour-long blackout in the city will result in his phone to ring off the hook.
Another factor in his defeat was double billing of utilities that surfaced before the election. The double billing was because many meters weren't read last winter with bills based on estimates.
"That hurt," the mayor said.
Other grief
The mayor doesn't believe that negative publicity involving two of his department heads had anything to do with his defeat.
Joseph Slick, electric superintendent, was charged with drunk driving but was found to be innocent.
Police had taken Slick home because he had been drinking. He returned to his car and started driving. When police stopped him again, he drove off. While at police headquarters, road superintendent Jeremy Campana showed up to give the police grief for arresting Slick.
Praznik didn't discipline either Slick or Campana because they were off duty and Slick, the mayor asserts, has saved the city about $250,000 in consulting fees.
"We all get into problems," he said of Slick.
Campana also made the news when the Marconi Lodge, a local club, admitted to gambling-related violations. Campana is club president.
The mayor responded that the Marconi Club has been in existence for years.
Personality judgment
Another problem for Praznik, he acknowledges, is the resignation of David Kyle, chief of the Hubbard Volunteer Fire Department, the day before the elections.
Praznik said he can't determine if he was set up, but Kyle recently announced he was staying on as chief.
"People don't look at what you've done for the community. It's a personality question," Praznik said.
The mayor isn't sure what he'll do after he leaves the job that pays $29,500 annually.
Praznik, 69, said he doesn't know if Consumers Ohio Water Co. will offer him a job. He terms the company a "haven for former mayors."
Former mayor Al Sauline is employed by COWC, while Magee is a consultant with the water supplier. Praznik is a friend and golfs with Walter J. Pishkur, company president.
Pishkur said he hasn't offered Praznik a job.
Although Praznik says he'll miss the people, he has his public retirement pension with the hospitalization that comes with it and Social Security benefits.
He has a 40-foot-long trailer along Lake Erie and a winter home in Venice, Fla.
& lt;a href=mailto:yovich@vindy.com & gt;yovich@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;