Struthers to vote on measure to give city leaders full pay in first year

By Jeanne Starmack

STRUTHERS — City council is expected to vote to amend a pay ordinance so new department heads can receive their full salaries beginning in their first year. Since the passage of the 2006 ordinance, all new hires receive 80 percent of their salaries the first year, 90 percent the second year and then 100 percent, said Mayor Terry Stocker.

Stocker said he decided an amendment was needed because the city was about to lose its assistant manager at the wastewater treatment plant. The assistant manager, Bob Gentile, would be the likely replacement for manager Rich DeLuca, who is retiring in January, Stocker said. But Gentile indicated he intended to take another job because he couldn’t make as much money in Struthers, Stocker said.

Stocker said it is important to keep Gentile because he has a specialized Class 4 license in wastewater treatment. Managers with that license are hard to find, he said.

He also said Gentile has 29 years’ experience and has been helping to manage the plant for 13 years.

Stocker said he voted in favor of the ordinance the way it was written when he was on council in 2006.

But after being faced with losing Gentile and after realizing the police chief and fire chief will also be retiring in 2011, Stocker said, he decided to recommend the amendment.

“You don’t want to apply the same to entry level as you do to your brightest and best and risk losing them,” he said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.