Former deputy engineer will finish out DeChristofaro term

Staff report

WARREN

Randy Smith, who worked as deputy engineer under former Trumbull County Engineer John Latell, will finish out the last 17 months of the term of David DeChristofaro.

The Trumbull County Democratic Party’s Central Committee selected Smith Tuesday night over Gary Taneri by a vote of 131 to 46.

Smith left the county engineer’s office in the fall of 2008 after working there 16 years. He was deputy engineer for 10 years.

After Latell chose not to run for re-election in 2008, Smith ran for the party’s nomination for the job but was beaten in the primary by DeChristofaro. But DeChristofaro resigned the position last month in the midst of a criminal investigation and civil suit over his use of county resources and employees to carry out personal and campaign-related tasks.

DeChristofaro pleaded guilty last month in county common pleas court to a felony theft charge that arose from the investigation.

Smith has served 17 years as Hartford Township trustee and is current public service director for the city of Euclid. He will resign both of those jobs to become county engineer, he said.

Dan Polivka, Trumbull County Democratic Party chairman, said it’s not clear yet when Smith will begin his duties as county engineer.

Polivka said he urges Smith to work with the people now employed at the engineer’s office rather than “work too fast” to change the office the way DeChristofaro did. DeChristofaro’s decision to lay off three workers on his first day in office in January 2009 resulted in civil suits being filed by all three. Two of the suits settled out of court for $490,000, and the third suit is still pending.