Park board’s expansion puts members at odds

The board president called the action a ‘political agenda’ and voted against it.

By Jon Moffett

CANFIELD — Mill Creek MetroParks commissioners, after heated debate, voted Monday to expand the board from three to five members next year.

The vote followed debate among Virginia Dailey, board president, and members Carl Nunziato and Jay Macejko.

Dailey opposed Macejko’s motion to accept a resolution to expand the board. She said the move was part of a political agenda and questioned the ethics of the expansion.

She added that the move would be a conflict of interest to Macejko and Nunziato, both lawyers, alleging ties to the Mahoning County Probate Court and Judge Mark Belinky. Judge Belinky appoints the park commissioners.

Dailey said one of the questions on applications for new board members was whether a candidate approved of the board expansion. She said Macejko, appointed in January, responded “yes” without knowing all the details.

“It could be construed you were appointed to the board to see to it that the expansion occurred, and you are now under pressure to act accordingly, therefore rendering your vote improperly,” she said during the board meeting.

Dailey said Nunziato had ties with the judge during his years as a lawyer and asked both men to abstain from voting in order to preserve their ethics.

Macejko, visibly upset during the meeting, responded afterward, saying: “She’s dead wrong.”

“I work for the city of Youngstown. I’m the city prosecutor; I don’t practice in probate court. I think that her comments were off base. ... And quite frankly, I don’t want to dignify them,” Macejko said.

Nunziato declined to comment on Dailey’s remarks.

Dailey said her issues with the resolution stem from Judge Belinky’s making promises to expand the board during his most recent campaign. She said the judge approached the board with the suggestion of expansion, which she added is the opposite protocol other park boards follow.

She added that a three-member board is used in many larger park districts, such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton. Mill Creek has had a three-person board in its entire 118-year existence, she said.

“This would be an irrevocable action,” Dailey said of the expansion. “And it would affect the park for rest of its life.”

But Macejko and Nunziato maintained a five-person board is beneficial to breaking up the workload associated with the board.

“Anybody who is not involved directly with the park just doesn’t realize what a huge operation this is,” Macejko said. “We do run from county line to county line, from Trumbull to Columbiana. ... It’s an incredible amount of work, but it is something that you love, like a second full-time job.”

Nunziato said, “It’ll spread the responsibility and the burden of the board members over five people instead of three. I anticipate the people being put on the board will be as quality as those who have served in the past. I don’t anticipate any problems.”

The change will occur in January. Nunziato’s term ends this year.

Also passed was a resolution to increase the salary of Tom Bresko, interim executive director, by $10,000 annually.

Macejko said the increase will bring Bresko’s salary to just under $80,000 a year, or about $700 more than the next highest-paid employee. He stressed that the move is not a raise but rather appropriately paying Bresko for the duties of an executive director.

“Tom was put into an interim executive director position. He has shouldered those duties and more,” Macejko said. “I just felt it was appropriate that since he is doing the work he is paid accordingly.”

Bresko replaced former executive director Dave Imbrogno last month.

jmoffett@vindy.com