GOVERNMENT Youngstown voters to decide on changes to the city's charter

A group of citizens is urging people to vote against two charter amendments.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Many were considered, but there are just two proposed changes to the city charter on Tuesday's ballot.
One would require city council to review and update where necessary Youngstown's comprehensive plan -- the first incarnation known as Youngstown 2010 -- after each census.
The other proposed amendment is more controversial, which is ironic since the item is meant to end a controversy.
The change would eliminate city council legislative aides, who typically are the spouses of council members. The move then would then send the aides' $27,817.24 salaries -- $28,117.24 for council president aide -- directly to the member. Members now make $600 a year, the president $900. Also, the item would let council change annual salaries before the start of a new term instead of relying on a charter amendment.
Opponents
A group of city residents following charter developments is urging people to vote against both amendments.
The group has its own charter amendment in mind for aides and council pay and say the ballot item is deceptive.
Maggie Lorenzi and a couple other citizens, Michael O'Hara and Josephine Hulett, unsuccessfully tried earlier this year to get their own charter item on the ballot. Their proposal would eliminate council aides, leaving council salaries at $600 and $900 respectively.
Confusion over the needed forms and timing of their petitions derailed the attempt. They continue trying to get the item on a future ballot but are having trouble at the board of elections, Lorenzi said.
They will press ahead no matter the result in November, she said.
Council members can't lose no matter the outcome because of how the amendment is structured, she said.
If voters approve the item, council members get the much bigger paychecks. If voters reject the amendment, the aides stay and most council members still keep the salaries flowing into their households.
"It's blatantly self-serving," Lorenzi said. "It's ridiculous."
Council members said they voted to put the item on the ballot to end what they admit is a deceptive practice of funneling pay through aides.
Review provision
There is no good reason for residents to approve the other proposed amendment, either, Lorenzi said. The city didn't need a charter amendment to start the Youngstown 2010 process so there is no need to insert the review provision, she said.
The bigger issue is principal, Lorenzi said.
The group has compiled a long list of examples where they say council or city officials fail to follow the charter, which they've aired publicly before. The alleged violations range from improper procedure to legal language in council legislation.
The city needs to start following the charter before amending it, Lorenzi said.
Term limits
A choice of whether to dump term limits for the mayor and council was supposed to be on the ballot, but voters won't see it.
A paperwork snag in the city law department led council to pass flawed legislation. The problem was caught too late to get the right wording on the ballot. The proposal likely will be on the ballot in the next citywide election, as soon as the spring primary.
The city's charter review committee also considered other proposed items but either didn't send them to council or council declined to act on them.
Among the proposals were giving extra credit to city residents with passing civil service exam scores; requiring the board of health and park and recreation commission to follow the city's affirmative action policies on contracts; and creating a personnel department.
rgsmith@vindy.com