Regional Chamber postpones government change measures

By David Skolnick

The initiatives will wait till next year.

YOUNGSTOWN — A Regional Chamber effort to have referendums changing the form of government in Mahoning and Trumbull counties won’t be on the November ballot as originally planned.

A variety of factors led to the decision to wait until November 2009 to seek voter approval on an overhaul of the current form of government in the two counties, said Tony Paglia, the chamber’s vice president of governmental affairs.

He said they include:

•Incomplete proposed charters. The two committees created to help this process are still writing them.

•The lack of time to receive public input and to hold public hearings.

•Putting the proposals on the ballot during a presidential election.

“It will take a lot to get through voters on an issue such as this” during a presidential election year, Paglia said.

On Oct. 30, 2007, the chamber announced creation of two home rule charter committees, one for Mahoning and the other for Trumbull.

Committee members said at the time that they wanted to create a government that is more efficient and effective than the one that currently exists with three county commissioners and eight other countywide nonjudicial elected jobs.

The committee was to create a home rule charter that would establish the position of county executive — one person in charge of running the county’s daily operations — and a county legislature. The legislators would come from all over the county and be elected to part-time positions.

The committee was to determine how many of the other countywide positions would remain and if they’d be appointed or elected.

Of the six commissioners in the two counties, only Mahoning Commissioner John McNally IV, supports the proposal. He also serves as chairman of his county’s charter committee.

To get on the ballot, the proposals would need about 9,500 valid signatures from registered voters in Mahoning County and about 8,300 in Trumbull.

Of Ohio’s 88 counties only Summit has a charter form of government.

skolnick@vindy.com