Official abruptly resigns
Carson said he recently earned a master's degree in business administration.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Tony Carson Jr., Trumbull County administrator since January 2004, resigned the position abruptly Wednesday, effective immediately, giving no reason for the exit.
Carson, who had worked most of the day in contract negotiations, wrote his resignation by hand and delivered it to Paulette Godfrey, commissioners' clerk, around 2:45 p.m.
It said simply, "I submit my resignation as county administrator effective 7-26-06."
When reached Wednesday, Carson said the resignation was handwritten because the computers were down in the commissioners' offices. He had no comment on the reason for the resignation.
Carson did say he had intended to take about 10 days off starting today and was traveling to Valdosta, Ga., where he would be receiving his master of business administration degree from Valdosta University. He earned the degree by taking online courses the past few years, he said.
Carson also recently applied for the position of Boardman Township administrator, but trustees there picked Michael Villano of Hubbard for the job at a salary of $65,000 annually. Carson earned $69,943 as county administrator in 2004, the most recent year his salary figure was available.
Acknowledging the attempt to become township administrator, Carson said, "I always keep an eye out" for possible job opportunities.
County Commissioners Dan Polivka and James Tsagaris could not be reached to comment; Commissioner Paul Heltzel declined to comment when asked whether he knew the reason for Carson's resignation.
Background
Carson, a former Warren city councilman, moved from a position in the county auditor's office to a job as county purchasing director in 2001. At that time, his job did not involve making purchases but only comparing prices and preparing specifications for items that would be purchased through competitive bidding.
By December of that year, commissioners had expanded his duties. That was after The Vindicator and the county prosecutor questioned excessive purchases by the county maintenance department, including tens of thousands of dollars spent each year on air freshener alone.
Procedures were laid out for Carson to place orders and for department heads to request supplies. The former head of the maintenance department, Tony Delmont, started serving a prison term this week for bribery, theft in office and money laundering.
Around the time Carson became county administrator in 2004, he sold a private jail program he operated and put up for sale the court building in Cortland he rented to the county.
Carson made those decisions after questions were raised about possible conflicts of interest between Carson's business interests and his job responsibilities, which included work on the budgets for county and municipal courts.
In May 2004, as scrutiny of county purchases intensified, Carson was subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury that was investigating the scheme to overcharge taxpayers for goods and services bought through the maintenance department.