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Columbiana County official to resign post
By christine keeling
columbiana
Democrats will be looking to fill a county commissioner seat here.
Penny Traina announced her intent to resign her post as Columbiana County commissioner during a commissioners’ meeting Wednesday.
She will vacate the position Dec. 1, with one year left in her term, to take a new job in the private sector.
“It’s a very emotional heartfelt day,” said Traina. “I have loved my job as commissioner.”
County Democrats picked Traina in 2007 to fill the remainder of Sean Logan’s term. She was re-elected in 2008 and presided as president of the commissioners for two years. Traina said she believes her finance background, as a treasurer of Wellsville schools, was something she brought to the community. She said she tried to never lose sight of whom she worked for.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Columbiana County,” Traina said.
Dennis Johnson, the county’s Democratic Party chairman, said county precinct committeemen and executive board members will have an emergency meeting at the county’s joint vocational school to elect Traina’s replacement. The meeting will happen as soon as possible so the candidate will have time to collect signatures, by the Dec. 7 deadline, to run in 2012, he said.
“I have gotten a ton of phone calls from people who are interested,” said Johnson.
He also said he thought Traina was one of the best commissioners the county has had and he understood this was a great opportunity for her.
Traina said she wasn’t looking for a job when Interstate Waste Services in Ramsey, N.J., approached her with a position as municipal marketing manager for the state of Pennsylvania. And although the decision was very difficult, she believed the offer the company presented allowed her to continue her career and serve the public’s interest, she said.
“I believe the public deserves to have a voice and get their voice across,” Traina said.
The commissioner’s seat isn’t the only one Traina will be leaving when she moves to Carlisle, Pa.
She is the president of the Ohio Mid Eastern Governmental Association, a board member of CF Bank Economic Development and Southern Columbiana United Way, an advisory member for Kent State University and a director for the County Commissioners Association.