New trustee emphasizes police staffing in 2010

By ASHLEY LUTHERN

aluthern@vindy.com

(Editor’s note: This is the first in a four-part series about new government officials in Austintown.)

For Jim Davis, winning the race for township trustee finally sank in when he got an unexpected request.

“I sent a letter to the township administrator asking what was expected now that I won,” Davis said. “I received a letter back asking for a few things and one was asking me to come in and sign a couple documents so they would have my signature for paychecks. That’s when it set in.”

In November, Davis was elected an Austintown trustee and this month, he joins David Ditzler and Lisa Oles on the board. His most immediate concern is contract negotiations.

“Five of the bargaining units’ contracts are up and right off the get-go we need to make sure those contracts are negotiated and ready to go as soon as possible.

“We want people working under contracts that they can be happy with, so the township doesn’t see any lapse in service,” Davis said, adding that the units include police, fire and road departments.

Davis was a Mahoning County deputy sheriff for seven years and considers law enforcement one of his top priorities.

“I definitely want to build up our police force. That holds a little place in my heart that’s near and dear to me,” he said.

“I want to make sure our police department has adequate staffing... It went from 45 full-timers to 39, and they’ve got a couple guys that have recently retired.”

During his tenure, Davis wants to have a better relationship with other government entities, especially the school board.

“(The township) is no better than the school system and the school’s no better than the services the township provides,” he said.

“We’ve got the middle school that’s up for sale and if we work together we could hopefully put a business in there or something that would benefit the township and generate some great tax revenue.”

Davis also emphasized the importance of the community to him since he moved to the area in 1988 with his parents, Thomas and Susan Davis.

“Now I’ve got a family, I’ve purchased a home in Austintown , I made the decision to live in Austintown and raise my kid (2-month-old Gabriella) in the community,” he said.

“Twenty-one years from now, I want my daughter to make the same decision. That’s what prompted me to run for office.”