Mayor wants to keep residency rule

The Youngstown mayor vows to fight the new law.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mayor Jay Williams doesn't expect a sea of "for sale" signs in the city now that the governor has lifted residency requirements for most public employees.
Williams said he testified in Columbus against the change and asked the governor, by correspondence, to refrain from signing the measure into law until it had been tested in the courts.
Republican Gov. Bob Taft signed the bill Friday. It takes effect in 90 days after it is filed with the secretary of state.
Williams said he and at least four other mayors, including Warren Mayor Michael O'Brien, have discussed the situation and intend to fight the new law in court. He believes the courts will uphold the city's position but if not, "we'll live with the decision."
He said residency is an important issue but the bigger issue is the attack on home rule. He said he's disturbed that numerous local legislators, except state Sen. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-33rd, and state Rep. Sylvester Patton of Youngstown, D-60th, favored lifting the residency requirement.
"In my mind, they abandoned the cities and sent a very bad message," Williams said. "It was a slap in the face."
The mayor said the state is undermining the will of local voters.
"I would like to initiate court action prior to that 90 days. I'm not expecting a mass or immediate exodus, but a slow, painful death could be as detrimental," Williams said. "I'm going to advise city employees to not act prematurely."
Exceptions
The new law, sponsored by state Sen. Timothy J. Grendell, a Chesterland Republican, provides some exceptions to an outright prohibition on residency requirements.
The measure would permit citizens, through initiative, or the legislative authority of a local government to require local government employees to live either in the county where the political subdivision is located or in an adjacent county.
"That's the absolute other point of hypocrisy in this legislation," Williams said. "Either residency is constitutional according to them, or it's not. What they're trying to do is have it both ways."
A county adjacent to Mahoning could be Lawrence County in western Pennsylvania.
According to the Ohio Municipal League, 125 cities and 13 villages across the state have some requirement for municipal employee residency in their charters.