Outsiders should serve on 911 consolidation task force

Mayor George M. McKelvey and Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti insist that politics should have no bearing on a feasibility and cost study of consolidating the 911 emergency centers in Youngstown and Mahoning and Trumbull counties, but when at least five of the nine members of a special task force are from the ranks of local government, we wonder just how apolitical the initiative can be.
While we understand the desire of the mayor and the county commissioners to protect the interests of their governments, we would argue that change from within is never easy and rarely occurs. That's because provincial attitudes, especially in the Mahoning Valley, run deep.
If consolidation of the emergency centers is to have any chance of becoming a reality, the task force should be made up of individuals who can be objective and look at the big picture. Thus, we would urge the officeholders to rethink the composition of the task force so each political subdivision has one representative and the remaining six come from the outside. That way, each local government would have input, but the majority of the members would have no direct links to city hall or the courthouses.
Regional chamber
We would suggest tapping Youngstown State University's Criminal Justice Department, the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber and the Ohio Auditor's Office for qualified, knowledgeable individuals to serve on the task force.
Last week, in announcing the creation of the panel that will determine if consolidation of the 911 centers is feasible and, if so, at what cost, the mayor and commissioners agreed that each government entity would have three appointees.
McKelvey said Fire Chief John O'Neill, either Police Chief Bob Bush or his representative, and a private citizen with background in 911 operations will represent Youngstown. Commissioner Traficanti said Walter M. Duzzny, director of Mahoning County's Emergency Management Agency, and a current 911 department member would be among the three from Mahoning County.
From Trumbull County, Tim Gladis, 911 director, would be one of the three. Commissioners are expected to name the other two within the next two weeks.
While it makes sense to have the person most familiar with each 911 center on the task force, we would suggest that others intimately involved with the telephone emergency system can still provide valuable information and input without being on the task force.
Consolidation will succeed only if everyone at the table understands that job-loss is an integral part of such reorganization. After all, Mayor McKelvey and the commissioners would not be talking about ending the duplication of this essential public service if they weren't confronted with the reality that their governments are facing or could face major financial problems.
And it isn't only the 911 system in Mahoning and Trumbull counties that are being forced to come terms with this problem. All general fund departments are on the ropes. As for the city of Youngstown, cutting costs to prevent a potential financial collapse is the proper course of action.
McKelvey is so determined to make the consolidation plan work that he has offered to enter into a 10-year, $5 million contract for 911 services between either Mahoning County and the city, or the two counties and the city.
He also has promised to pay for a consultant to conduct the feasibility study, and is willing to donate the top floor of 20 Federal Plaza (the former Phar-Mor Centre), which has about 20,000 square feet of space, to house a central emergency telephone center.
As we said in a recent editorial, this is an opportunity that local governments must not squander. If consolidation becomes a reality -- we see no reason why it should not -- that would open the door to other cooperative endeavors.
And that is a goal worth pursuing.