Clerk for commissioners plans to quit

A replacement will likely be promoted from within, one commissioner said.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Roselyn Ferris, clerk for Trumbull County commissioners for the past 24 years, will resign Dec. 31.
"They say you know when it is time to leave a job, and you really do," said Ferris, 58. "It is a lot of responsibility, and it is not an 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. job."
Ferris is known by people who do business with Trumbull County as the organizer, record keeper and ear for the board of commissioners. She seems to always be in the office, from early morning till after everyone else has left.
Over the years, she has worked with 17 county commissioners.
How she began
Ferris was hired by the county in 1967 through an employment agency to do secretarial work in the commissioners' office. She was promoted to assistant clerk in 1973, and to clerk in 1980.
Ferris' salary was nearly doubled in 1996, and she was given the additional title of administrator after a study of county workers' jobs concluded her job responsibilities went beyond her pay.
Among other things, Ferris supervises an office of five, controls commissioners' schedules and prepares the commissioners' agenda.
For the past two years, she has also assisted commissioners in preparing annual budgets.
Ferris' salary is set at $71,089. However, she accepted a $12,000 pay cut in March to help commissioners meet a reduced 2003 budget.
"She is going to be missed," said Commissioner Joseph J. Angelo Jr.
Promotion from within
He said the commissioners will probably promote someone from within to take over responsibilities as the clerk of the board. That person will likely not be paid at the same rate as Ferris, he said.
Ferris said it is too early to tell if she would consider a job at Warren City Hall. Commissioner Michael O'Brien will take over as mayor next year. The decision was just about this job, Ferris said.
"It has been interesting, it has been challenging, and I've met a lot of good people," she said.
siff@vindy.com