Seditz in cross hairs of new Boardman trustee

During last year's Boardman Township trustee race, political newcomer Robyn Gallitto, a lawyer, made it clear that she strongly disagreed with the kid-glove treatment Administrator Curt Seditz received from trustees Elaine Mancini and Tom Costello after his brushes with the law.
Gallitto's no-nonsense attitude obviously struck a responsive chord with the voters because she succeeded in depriving Costello of another term in office.
Trustee Kathy Miller, who also sought re-election in 2005, was already on record as disagreeing with her colleagues' willingness to give Seditz a break -- even with a second driving-under-the-influence offense in August.
Yet, after Gallitto's election and Miller's re-election in November, Costello and Trustee Elaine Mancini voted in December to increase the administrator's salary by 4 percent. It was the kind of in-your-face act that had angered voters in the first place -- as evidenced by Costello's defeat.
So when the trustees met this week, the question that loomed was how the Gallitto-Miller coalition would play out. The answer can best be found in one word: Boldly.
First, the freshman trustee was elected president of the board. And then, with gavel in hand, she moved to rescind the 4 percent pay raise for Seditz, whose contract expires this year. With the rescission, his salary returns to $78,100. Miller voted with the new president; Mancini voted against.
Lest anyone think the action was petty -- or worse -- consider Gallitto's comment when she made the motion: "Usually raises are given, in my opinion, as a reward. You don't get a raise for doing your job, you get a paycheck."
The day after the meeting, the president of the board of trustees expounded on her position:
"My feeling was that the last-chance agreement that was given to him was, in effect, a raise, or at least had significant value; i.e. he got to keep his job. I hope the public doesn't feel it was purely punitive. I was merely trying not to reward very bad judgment. After all, it was a huge campaign issue, wasn't it?"
Blindspot
Mancini's statement that "Mr. Seditz never failed this community professionally," reveals her blindspot when it comes to the administrator. His behavior did reflect negatively on the community and did cause dissension. That's why voters were upset.
The fact that the trustees did not insist on a last-chance agreement after the first incident in 2000 -- he was charged with DUI, but ultimately pleaded to reckless operation -- was seen as a break for the administrator. Then, when he was arrested for DUI in August, the failure of the trustees to terminate his employment simply lent credence to the widely held belief that he was being protected by his employers.
The pay raise that Mancini and Costello gave him last month epitomized the arrogance of power in township hall.
Gallitto and Miller were right in rescinding the pay increase; it sends a message that public employees must expect to be held to a standard that reflects positively on the community.
This week's meeting also focused on the policy of that allows some employees to take township cars home. Trustees asked for a cost-benefit analysis.
The meeting was a good start to the new term. We hope the trustees continue to focus on long-standing problems such as flooding and traffic congestion on U.S. Route 224, while ensuring that township government responds to the needs of all Boardman residents.