Why the rush to fill position of city park and rec director?

With the North Side swimming pool closed until next summer and Youngstown’s summer recreation programs ended with the start of school, why is it necessary to hire a park and recreation director when the position has been unfilled for four years? Mayor Charles Sammarone has been in office three weeks and we would think he needs time to analyze the city’s operating budget from every aspect before committing between $55,000 and $61,000 — with an additional 20 percent-plus for benefits — a year for the director’s salary.

What has changed since May 2007 when then Mayor Jay Williams determined that Youngstown could not afford to pay for the position and, therefore, had his chief of staff and secretary, Jason Whitehead, serve as interim director? Was Williams’ exaggerating when he argued that the operating budget was stretched thin?

We supported the former mayor in his decision to leave the position unfilled and have his chief of staff do double duty. Like Williams, we were highly critical of way the long-time park director, Joseph McRae, ran the department. We also had concerns about the park commission’s performance of its statutory duties. Williams launched a campaign to change the organization. He appointed Whitehead after McRae left following an 18-year stint and also sought to amend the city charter as it relates to the park department and the commission.

He contended the operation had been “plagued by numerous deficiencies over the past several years,” and that the 72-year-old charter amendment that created the park department was “outdated and functionally obsolete.”

In November 2007, city voters gave the mayor the authority to appoint all full-time and part-time employees, except the director. The voters also empowered the mayor, with the backing of a majority of city council, to remove commission members for incompetence, gross neglect of duty, gross immorality, drunkenness, misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance or other official misconduct.

Another amendment changed how commission members are appointed and their terms of office

General fund

Such oversight makes sense because the park department operates on $3.1 million from the general fund and $250,000 from the city’s Community Development Agency. The new North Side pool was built with $1.28 million from the city’s treasury.

Given this fiscal dependency, Mayor Sammarone should proceed cautiously with committing money for a new park director — the commission would select from a civil service commission list — given the current economic uncertainties.

The decision by the U.S. Postal Service to slash offices and operations nationwide could directly affect Youngstown. The service has announced that the processing and distribution operation in the central post office may be moved to Cleveland, resulting in the loss of 500 jobs. It is estimated that city government would lose $500,000 in income taxes. The North Side post office is also slated to close.

Then, there is the loss of state funding for local governments, which has hit the city hard.

Sammarone is no stranger to city government’s budget, having served as council president, water commissioner and councilman. But, as the chief executive, he now has the responsibility to look at every department and agency and to set spending priorities.

We do not believe the hiring of a park and recreation director is a priority.