VIENNA Prosecutors investigate public employee, agency

Money to hire the worker is to come from a $45,000 grant.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
VIENNA -- Prosecutors are investigating whether a public employee who shares an office with the Trumbull County Emergency Management Agency can moonlight as a contract worker for the agency.
Last week, the county auditor's office raised questions about a request from EMA to pay Don Waldron $1,500 for supervising work on a new countywide plan for dealing with emergencies because Waldron is a county employee.
Ohio law prohibits public agencies from contracting for services from agency employees.
Waldron is the director -- and sole staff member -- of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, which is responsible for tracking hazardous materials in the county.
Although it is separate from EMA, Waldron shares an office with EMA staff and, until recently, drove a county-owned truck with both EMA and LEPC logos.
"We are conducting an inquiry and are looking into the matter," said Jason Earnhart, assistant county prosecutor.
Waldron is to be paid from a $45,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to update the county plan and add a section dealing with terrorism, said Clyde McKenzie, EMA executive committee chairman.
Qualifications
The 20-member EMA executive committee has authority over how the grant money is spent. This spring, however, they asked another committee of about four or five people to pick who they felt were qualified to write the plan. Waldron met with that committee.
McKenzie said he knew Waldron was in charge but was not sure who the other people working on the project would be. He said he was not sure if there was a contract that spelled out how much each person would be paid.
EMA director Linda Beil and Waldron also said they didn't know.
"I knew I was going to get more than the other people because I was supervising them," said Waldron, who earns $8.50 an hour at his 25-hour-a-week job for LEPC.
"Even though I work at EMA there is no conflict of interest because there was a job that they had to do and there already [was] money to do the job," Waldron added.
He said there are only a small number of people in the county who would be qualified to work on this type of project.
Records at the auditor's office indicate that only one person -- Gary Cunningham -- has been paid $2,000 for his work on the plan so far. Cunningham is not a county employee, but information about him was not immediately available.
The plan is expected to be completed by next month.
siff@vindy.com