Lawsuit: Remove three members of Brookfield board

The suit says two board
members allow the third to control their vote.

By ED RUNYAN

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

WARREN — Members of the Save Our Schools Committee have filed a lawsuit in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court seeking to get Brookfield school board members Joseph Pasquerilla, Dean Fisher and Steven Varga removed from office.

Atty. Michael D. Rossi of Warren filed the action Monday on behalf of the committee and the approximately 1,100 people who signed petitions that accompanied the lawsuit.

The three were elected in November 2005 on a platform of no new taxes for teacher salaries, but S.O.S. member Gary Reiser says their tactics involve micromanaging the system and having unreasonable expectations that the district can operate on the same money approved by voters in 1995.

The group is using a provision of Ohio law that allows a complaint to be filed and a judge to decide whether a public official should be removed for his or her actions or inactions.

The complaint must contain signatures equaling 15 percent of the electors from the township who voted in the last governor’s race.

What suit alleges

The complaint says the three have “willfully and flagrantly exercised authority or power not authorized by law “and have been guilty of gross neglect of duty, misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance.”

It says the three have made board decisions without the knowledge of the two other school board members, refused to respond to questions from the community, failed to collectively bargain in good faith with the teachers union, laid off and rehired necessary personnel, and illegally hired unqualified personnel, among other things.

Among the accusations leveled against Pasquerilla are performing the duties of superintendent, principal and head coach; directing the votes of his two colleagues; retaliating or threatening retaliation against school personnel and engaging in unfair labor practices.

The suit says Fisher and Varga permit Pasquerilla to control their vote, engage in intimidating or “otherwise boorish behavior” and perform school principal duties. It accuses Fisher of failing to become or stay informed on issues.

Response

Pasquerilla, board chairman, said the opposition he, Fisher and Varga receive has everything to do with their opposition to approving a contract with teachers that would involve deficit spending.

Pasquerilla said S.O.S. is a small, vocal group, the majority of whom are teachers or the relatives of teachers who are unhappy about losing their jobs or taking a wage cut.

Two of the primary members of S.O.S. are Gwen Martino, who ran against the three men and lost in the 2005 election, and board member Ronald Brennan, who doesn’t like being on the losing end of 3-2 board votes, Pasquerilla said. “It’s sour grapes.” The fifth board member is Ronda Bonekovic.

If he were to support a contract that involved deficit spending, the S.O.S. committee would not be fighting him, Pasquerilla said. “You have to live with the money you have,” he said.

“The allegations are ridiculous,” Pasquerilla said.

Reiser, one of about 20 S.O.S. members, said obtaining signatures for the lawsuit showed that the community is “fed up” with the three board members’ actions.

Fisher and Varga could not be reached to comment.

runyan@vindy.com