Warren will continue to contract with WRAP

A councilman said an independent investigation would clear up lingering questions.
BY AMANDA GARRETT
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Warren Redevelopment and Planning Corp. will continue to be contracted by the city after a councilman withdrew legislation Wednesday that would have removed its funding.
Councilman Robert L. Dean Jr., D-at-large, introduced an ordinance Feb. 28 that would reappropriate the 51,250 set aside for WRAP and its economic development assistance to a contingency fund in the Community Development Department.
Dean asked Community Development Director Michael Keys and WRAP Executive Director Anthony Iannucci to provide written answers to a list of 71 questions he had submitted to them regarding the status of economic development in Warren and WRAP's role in revitalization efforts.
The questions had been submitted by Dean and concerned citizens. Dean said he was mostly satisfied with the answers.
"Many of the things many people thought WRAP should be doing isn't even really what they're responsible for," he said at Wednesday's council meeting.
Only Councilman Robert Holmes, D-4th, who is a WRAP board member, voted against withdrawing the legislation.
Has it fallen short?
Holmes said he feels WRAP has not lived up to its original charter -- which states that one of the organization's missions is downtown development. He said WRAP and Warren GROWs (Grassroots Revitalization of Warren) members have made questionable deals in the past.
Councilman Gary Fonce, D-at-large, called for an independent investigation to clear up any remaining questions about WRAP.
"If your house is clean, you let people in to see that it's clean," he said. "Every few years this issue raises its ugly head. I think we need an independent investigation to put the questions to rest once and for all."
Councilwoman Susan Hartman, D-7th, said she had opposed the legislation because it did not provide for another organization to perform WRAP's duties. "There's not a plan in place for what would happen next," she said.
agarrett@vindy.com