Judge names 2 to park board

By Jon Moffett

One current member staunchly opposed expanding the panel.

CANFIELD — The search for two new park commissioners for the Mill Creek MetroParks board has come to an end.

Mahoning County Probate Court Judge Mark Belinky, the sole appointing authority of the board, announced Dr. Robert Durick, a Struthers dentist, and Canfield businessman John Ragan will be added to the five-member park board.

Ragan will serve a two-year term, and Durick will serve one year in the voluntary positions before both can opt for reappointment.

A board ruling in October expanded the board from three members to five effective Jan. 1.

“I have said since I became a judge that I think it’s important we have representation on that board of all the areas in Mahoning County,” Belinky said. “I think this is a good opportunity to really solidify the park.”

Forty-five people had applied for the two positions. That number was cut to a field of 10 last week.

The judge had urged the board to expand from three to five in order to gain better diversity of Mahoning County and its outlying communities. The park board voted 2-1 in favor of the motion at its Oct. 19 meeting. Board president Virginia Dailey dissented.

Park commissioners discussed the expansion at the board’s monthly meeting Monday, but at the time were not aware of the appointees’ identities.

“We have some big things coming up next year – in 2010 – that are going to require a lot of time and attention,” Dailey said. “We’re looking forward to having two new board members join us, and we hope they’re going to be up to the task because it is going to be quite substantial.”

Fellow board member Carl Nunziato said the new appointees were chosen because of their “interest and dedication” to the park.

Nunziato’s term also expires at the end of this year. He said it would be up to Belinky if he is reappointed, and he is still “mulling over” whether he’ll seek reappointment after seven years on the board.

Jay Macejko, a board member and Youngstown city prosecutor, declined to comment on the record.

The board expansion did not come easy.

A heated exchange ensued after Dailey criticized Nunziato and Macejko for voting in favor of the expansion in October. She said due diligence and research on expansion had not been done, and the expansion was a “political agenda.” Dailey said her fellow board member had a “conflict of interest” and called their ethics into question.

Nunziato and Macejko dismissed the allegations, saying they were “out of line.”

The issue resurfaced at Monday’s meeting when Nunziato made a motion to strike Dailey’s comments from the official park minutes, again saying they were out of line.

Dailey defended her comments, saying they were protected by Ohio’s Sunshine Law, which make information of public meeting accessible. Nunziato disagreed and went ahead with his motion.

The board voted 2-1 in favor of the removal, with Nunziato and Macejko supporting the motion and Dailey dissenting.

Macejko remained silent during much of the discussion, but afterward said, “This animosity has got to stop.”

jmoffett@vindy.com