Mahoning County hires dog warden, HR director

CANFIELD

The Mahoning County commissioners have hired a Troy, Ohio, woman as county human-resources director and a Youngstown lawyer as county dog warden.

The commissioners hired Rachel L. Livengood as human-resources director, effective May 17, at an annual salary of $67,500, during their Thursday meeting at the Canfield Township Hall.

Livengood started with the Ohio Department of Transportation in 1998 as a labor relations officer at the agency’s Sidney office and moved in 2007 to its Columbus headquarters, where the Kasich administration chose in January not to retain her, she said on her county job application.

The commissioners hired Atty. Matt Ditchey as dog warden at $45,000 a year, effective May 9. Ditchey, who does arbitration work for his brother’s law firm in Cleveland, said he would keep his law license current, but work full-time as dog warden.

Ditchey is a board member and former board president of Angels for Animals. “I love dogs and cannot stand to see them suffer. I spend almost all of my free time doing volunteer work on behalf of animal welfare issues,” Ditchey said.

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