Friday, September 16, 2005
The county's facilities director had offered to retire but instead was fired.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners fired the director of facilities management Thursday, but Richard Malagisi said he doesn't know why.
Commissioners appointed Pete Triveri interim director. He is the No. 2 person in the facilities department.
Commissioners indicated they were displeased with Malagisi's job performance. Commissioner John McNally IV said he and his colleagues determined it was time for a change in the facilities office.
"Our ships didn't sail in the same direction," said Commissioner Anthony Traficanti.
County workers need to be accountable, and commissioners will continue to make changes as they see fit, Traficanti said.
McNally said commissioners aren't sure yet how they will handle the opening. Options include making Triveri the permanent director or searching for a new department head.
Malagisi worked for the county almost 24 years.
Told he'd be fired
On Wednesday, Malagisi said he was told he was being placed on paid administrative leave and would be fired as of Thursday. Malagisi said he wasn't given a reason.
Commissioners had been upset because work wasn't getting done as fast as they wanted, Malagisi said. The department is short 18 workers and didn't have the budget to accomplish what commissioners wanted, he added.
Malagisi said two days earlier he offered to retire because of tension between him and the commissioners but they weren't interested. He finds the timing suspicious.
Malagisi is considering legal action.
"Let them take their best shot, and I'll take mine," he said. "I didn't do anything wrong."
rgsmith@vindy.com