CAMPBELL Common pleas judge rules against ex-schools treasurer

A judge ruled that the former treasurer's contract expired; he wasn't fired.
By BOB JACKSON
VINDICATOR COURTHOUSE REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A former Campbell schools treasurer has lost another round in his legal fight over what he says was illegal termination from the job.
Joseph M. Sebest sued the school district in September 2002 for breach of contract, arguing that the school board should not have fired him.
But Judge R. Scott Krichbaum of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court ruled this week that Sebest's employment contract had expired and the school board did nothing wrong.
"Mr. Sebest was not fired by the board," Judge Krichbaum wrote in his decision. "Instead, he notified the board that he refused to accept the contract that they offered him."
Sebest was appointed interim treasurer in April 1999 and served through the remainder of that year. When the school board offered him a two-year contract in January 2000, Sebest declined it because of a dispute over salary, after which the board rescinded the offer.
Court rulings
Sebest filed an appeal in common pleas court, maintaining that the school board fired him without following due process. When Visiting Judge Mary Cacioppo upheld the school board's action, Sebest appealed her decision to the 7th District Court of Appeals, which also ruled against him.
Sebest also filed a lawsuit against the school board in U.S. District Court. It was later dismissed by Judge David Dowd.
bjackson@vindy.com