Commissioners OK measure inviting Cafaro Co. to move

Property is available at Eastwood Mall for employees of the mall developer.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Commissioner James Tsagaris wants Cafaro Co. of Youngstown and its president Anthony Cafaro Sr. to know doors to Trumbull County are open any time the company wants to move its offices north.
"I would love to have them in Trumbull County," Tsagaris said Wednesday during the commissioners' meeting. The statement was made in the form of a resolution -- approved by Tsagaris and colleagues Daniel Polivka and Paul Heltzel.
Tsagaris said he made the resolution in reference to "what's going on in Mahoning County."
Tsagaris said he thinks Cafaro, with headquarters on Belmont Avenue in Youngstown, is not being treated as well as he could be by Mahoning County officials regarding the proposed relocation of the county's Job and Family Services offices there.
Tsagaris said he had not talked to Cafaro about the issue.
"I'm somewhat surprised, but I am pleasantly surprised by the Trumbull commissioners' actions," Cafaro said Wednesday.
In recent weeks, Mahoning officials have talked about buying Oakhill Renaissance Place in the city and turning it into a one-stop shop for county government offices. Commissioners made a bid to buy the facility, which formerly housed Southside Medical Center.
Cafaro Co., one of the largest mall developers in the country, owns Garland Plaza on Youngstown's East Side, where the county has leased space for J & amp;FS since 1988.
At a Mahoning commissioners' meeting in May, Commissioner Anthony Traficanti and Commissioner James McNally IV got into a heated discussion after McNally voted no on a motion to make a purchase offer for Oakhill. The motion passed 2-1.
Traficanti said he was not in the business of protecting a billionaire and was not owned by anybody, an apparent attack on McNally for opposing the Oakhill purchase and a reference to Cafaro.
Cafaro said Traficanti's statements impugned his family name, attacked his company and questioned the company's integrity.
"That is not the way to make our company and our family feel welcome in Mahoning County," he said. "If Traficanti has any evidence of impropriety, he should put it on the table or he should shut his mouth."
He added that as owner of the Eastwood Mall, there is property available where his offices could be moved to the benefit of the more than 200 Cafaro headquarters employees and the businesses there.
He said he would not rule out the possibility that such a move could occur.
Advertising approved
In other action, commissioners approved advertising for statements of qualification for architectural services for renovations of the Park Porter Building at 280 North Park Ave. downtown for use by the Trumbull J & amp;FS.
Tom Mahoney, Trumbull J & amp;FS director, said preliminary work by Warren architect Bruce Sekanick indicated that the building would be of sufficient size to accommodate the agency's offices, including its One Stop job placement and training facility. He said it appears the facility could be ready for occupancy by the winter of 2008.
runyan@vindy.com