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DeChristofaro is weighing options
By Ed Runyan
WARREN
David DeChristofaro says resigning as Trumbull County engineer is an “option that’s on the table, but I have not made a decision yet.”
His statement comes as Trumbull Commissioner Dan Polivka, the county Democratic Party chairman, says he talked to DeChristofaro Monday about possible successors in the event that DeChristofaro resigns.
The choice of a successor is made by the party’s central committee.
“He’s going through a rough, tough times right now, and he’s weighing the effects it’s having on his family and taxpayers,” Polivka said, adding that DeChristofaro did not indicate whether he would stay on as engineer or resign.
Polivka said DeChristofaro was spending time Monday talking to attorneys about his legal problems.
DeChristofaro is the target of a civil suit filed in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court on behalf of Niles man Vincent Davila Sr. that seeks to remove DeChristofaro from office over allegations that DeChristofaro used county resources to send out political campaign mailings.
Numerous county officials and DeChristofaro’s personal secretary have given testimony during depositions requested by attorneys for the Chandra Law Firm of Cleveland, who represent Davila.
In one of the depositions, DeChristofaro’s secretary, Jennifer Bindas, described a week’s worth of campaign-related work she did while on the clock over the past year.
The engineer’s office sent the highway superintendent, Marty Patrick, to the Trumbull County commissioners meeting last week to stand in for DeChristofaro and David Rouan, DeChristofaro’s director of administration.
Gary Shaffer, another county engineer’s employee, represented the office at Tuesday’s commissioners meeting. DeChristofaro and Rouan have personally attended most county commissioners meetings in recent years.
DeChristofaro said by telephone Tuesday that Rouan will retire at the end of the month. He said the reason is that Rouan will qualify for retirement because he’ll have 30 years in public service, DeChristofaro said.
DeChristofaro said he won’t be in the office this week, but he’s staying in touch with his top aides, such as Patrick and Chief Deputy John Picuri, and the office is functioning normally.
DeChristofaro added that he became ill with a kidney stone Monday afternoon and is unlikely to make it back into the office this week because of that ailment.