New trustee chosen for Weathersfield

By Mary Smith

The new trustee was the 1995 Mineral Ridge High School valedictorian.

MINERAL RIDGE — Weathersfield Township trustees appointed Steven J. Gerberry, 32, of 2155 Squirrel Run Court as new township trustee.

Gerberry was named Tuesday to fill the vacancy left by the Jan. 20 resignation of Trustee Fred Bobovnyk, who is now township fiscal officer.

Gerberry will be sworn in by Friday by Bobovnyk after Gerberry formally resigns as a member of the township zoning commission. Gerberry has served one year of a five-year term on the commission, which is a trustee-appointed position.

Gerberry will fill out Bobovnyk’s unexpired term through Dec. 31. Bobovnyk’s four-year term ends this year, so the position will be up for election in November. The part-time trustee post pays $12,346 a year.

There were 14 applicants for the position — former trustees James Price, Jim Pirko, and John Vogel; Marvin McBride, a former school board member; Richard Harkins, former zoning commission member; Gerberry; and Karl Fauvie, Robert Palmer, Raymond Hobbs, Melody Brockway, H. Gilson Blair, J.W. Aleshire, James Dunlap and Lori Williams.

Gerberry said after being appointed by trustees: “I’m honored to be appointed, and I look forward to serving Weathersfield.”

Trustee Chairman James Stoddard commented after trustees appointed Gerberry, “Gerberry is currently on our zoning commission, has knowledge of our township and is young and energetic, and we felt he would be best for the position.”

Stoddard said he and Trustee William Miller were surprised at the amount of interest.

The new trustee lived five years in Youngstown. He is a son of James and Linda Gerberry, and a nephew of state Rep. Ronald Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th.

He and his wife, Stacie, have two daughters, Megan and Madeline.

Gerberrry is a funeral director and embalmer at Lane Funeral Homes Inc. serving as manager of the Niles chapel since 2008.

He has been with the company since 1999.

He is a 1995 graduate and class valedictorian of Mineral Ridge High School and received an associate degree in applied science in 1997 from Youngstown State University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mortuary science in 1999 from Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science.

He also is a notary public and has an Ohio insurance license for Ohio Life, Accident & Health & Variable Annuities.