Public works department evaluates mayor's 8 years

Department heads say the outgoing mayor was not a micro-manager.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Outgoing Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey is typically happy to share his opinion about many things.
But when it comes to himself, McKelvey isn't interested in talking, at least not to the press.
McKelvey rejected a request for an exit interview to talk about his political career, especially his eight years as mayor.
"The lens of history judges your accomplishments. I'll be judged by my actions. Actions speak louder than words," he said.
Instead of an interview, McKelvey wrote a letter urging this newspaper to obtain an "eight-year performance audit" from his Cabinet appointments.
"Their performance, as reflected by the factual information they will provide you, will tell the story," he wrote.
Most of his top supervisors didn't have an "eight-year performance audit" or had ever heard of one. Only Carmen S. Conglose Jr., deputy director of the public works department, ran his department throughout McKelvey's eight years as mayor.
In the letter, McKelvey said his "administrative style was to appoint Cabinet members committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional public service performance, and hold them accountable to said standards."
McKelvey's department heads say the mayor was not a micro-manager.
"He gives you policy guidelines and you do your job to follow them," said Police Chief Robert Bush, who's held that position for 4 1/2 years and before that, served as McKelvey's law director for 3 1/2 years. "Above all, he demands loyalty."
Crime rates drop
During the past eight years, the city's major crime rate declined compared with the previous eight years, Bush said. This occurred even though the department still gets about 95,000 calls annually and has seen a drop of about 14 percent in the number of police officers during that time frame, he said.
While there was an increase homicides this year compared with the past few years, the homicide rate is down 42 percent during the past eight years compared with the time frame from 1990 to 1997.
Also during the past eight years, the police department created a traffic bureau and a street crimes unit, made major equipment enhancements to the bomb squad, and brought back the traffic motorcycle unit.
The fire department has upgraded much of its equipment during the past eight years, including new firetrucks and new equipment to help remove people from vehicle accidents, and has made improvements to its stations, said Fire Chief John J. O'Neill Jr.
Focus on efficiency
The department also decreased its sick leave by about 40 percent in the past eight years compared with the previous eight years, saving about $60,000 in lost time and overtime costs per year, O'Neill said.
"When the mayor hired me as chief when he came in eight years ago, he told me, 'I need you to be as efficient as possible,'" O'Neill said. "He's been a very trusting leader."
During McKelvey's tenure, the city's public works department completed $64.09 million worth of capital improvement projects, with about 97 percent of the cost not coming from the city's general fund, Conglose said.
Of the total, $26.9 million went toward the construction of the Chevrolet Centre, Conglose said. The project is expected to cost more than $45 million. But $26.9 million of it was administered by the public works department, he said, with the rest handled by other city departments.
Another project of note completed by the public works department was the reopening of Federal Plaza in December 2004, which has led to a revitalization of the city's downtown, Conglose said.
Also, the recent completion of the Marshall Street Bridge, a project on the city's books since the mid-1980s, reopens a key connector between downtown and the West Side, he said.
Another major accomplishment cited by the public works and law departments is the settlement of a $300 million lawsuit against the city for long-standing violations of the federal Clean Water Act. The city had failed to do certain sewer projects required under the act for about 15 years, Conglose said.
The EPA filed the suit in November 1998 and dropped it in March 2002 when the city agreed to do about $11 million worth of projects over seven years, Conglose said.
Mahoning County Commissioner John McNally IV worked in the city's law department for seven years, including about 2 1/2 years as its director. McNally's specialty was negotiating contracts with the city's unions.
"The city saved a lot of money doing that work in-house," McNally said. "Also, the mayor was insistent that the city attorneys be full time. In the past, the jobs were not considered full time."
The city had to hire an outside firm to handle union negotiations when McNally left at the end of last year.
Though that has cost money, it also has saved money for the city, said Iris Torres Guglucello, the city's current law director. That's because union contracts are including employee contributions to monthly health insurance premiums that help the city's financial bottom line, she said.
In the beginning
When McKelvey took office Jan. 1, 1998, he inherited a city in state fiscal watch.
Cutbacks implemented under McKelvey, and, most importantly, a $4.3 million refund from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation in 1998 helped get the city out of fiscal watch.
But there were financial ups and downs for the city during McKelvey's eight years.
Voters approved a 0.5 percent income tax increase in November 2002 -- the city projected a $2.5 million deficit for that year without the increase -- bringing the city's income tax rate to 2.75 percent. That is the highest of any municipality in the state.
The city's overall financial health is strong with all operating funds finishing this year with positive balances, said Finance Director David Bozanich.
The city refinanced more than $15 million worth of city debt at a lower interest rate saving about $400,000 annually, Bozanich said.
The city also implemented new workers' compensation programs that save Youngstown about $1 million annually, he said.
Youngstown is now one of the most business-friendly communities in the country with several financial assistance programs for businesses looking to relocate, open or expand, Bozanich said.
Loan program
The city implemented the Youngstown/U.S. Small Business Administration loan program in 2001, the first of its kind in the nation, Bozanich said. The program provides grants from the SBA and the city, through federal Community Development Block Grants, to businesses, he said.
Since 2001, the program has approved 56 grants totaling almost $17 million and created nearly 500 jobs. The SBA's Midwest Region honored the city's program in June 2003 with its Small Business Leadership Award.
Besides reopening Federal Street and building the Chevrolet Centre, the city sold the Wick Building for redevelopment use and bought 20 Federal Place, the former Phar-Mor building.
The city is making improvements to 20 Federal Place, and offering office space to companies at below-market value to bring businesses back downtown, he said.
The city has provided tax abatements and other financial incentives to companies to relocate to or expand at its industrial parks that has led to hundreds of new jobs, Bozanich said.