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Crivelli leaves Austintown zoning, goes back to Boardman
By Susan Tebben
BOARDMAN
With their zoning inspector on medical leave, Boardman decided to bring in a department head who was familiar with zoning in the township.
Darren Crivelli, zoning inspector for Austintown, tendered his resignation to the township Monday, according to an email sent to Austintown Township administrator Mike Dockry that day.
“The Boardman Trustees have no objection to my working on a part-time basis evenings and weekends to assist Austintown during the time needed to transition and fill my former position,” Crivelli wrote in the email. He is to start in Boardman on May 6.
It’s difficult to leave, he said, because of the big projects in the township, the biggest of which is the Hollywood Slots at Mahoning Valley Race Course.
“It was a personal decision, Austintown has been fabulous,” Crivelli said. “I’m only a phone call away from Austintown, and I’ve said anything I can do to help, I will do.”
Crivelli goes to Boardman with a decade of experience in Boardman zoning. He left Boardman to be the Austintown zoning inspector in 2008. He was introduced formally to the Boardman Township trustees at a Wednesday meeting where his position and salary were approved. Crivelli’s salary will be $70,000 plus use of a township-owned vehicle and cellphone.
“Darren has done an admirable job in his capacity of zoning inspector in Austintown. We are sorry to see him leave, especially in the midst of having so many projects on the table,” said Austintown township Trustee Lisa Oles in an emailed statement. “I am obviously disenchanted by Boardman’s relentless pursuit of our zoning inspector. This is the second time they have enticed him to jump ship.”
Boardman administration said they attempted to find other zoning inspectors with the amount and type of experience needed for the job — most notably, experience with home-rule coding, for which Crivelli wrote the language in Boardman — but the candidates they contacted were not interested.
“With the size of the township and the home-rule distinction, Boardman is a unique place for zoning,” said township Administrator Jason Loree. “Whoever takes this job has a lot of work cut out for them.” Loree has been filling in as zoning inspector along with his other duties in the township since zoning inspector Anna Mamone recently went on medical leave. Mamone told Loree she would not know her medical status until mid-May, but when she returns she will be the assistant zoning inspector, Loree said.
Mamone was Crivelli’s secretary before he went to Austintown. She could not be reached to comment as of Wednesday evening.
Austintown will start looking for a new zoning inspector despite having to run a “tight ship,” which caused department heads to forgo raises for five-straight years, Oles said. This could have been part of the reason Boardman was able to bring Crivelli over to the neighboring township, according to Oles.
“Apparently, Boardman has more tax dollars and perks to flaunt and dangle in his face than Austintown does,” Oles said.