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Port authority board positions to be filled after mission is clear
By Ed Runyan
VIENNA
New leadership is coming to the Western Reserve Port Authority in the coming weeks, but one Trumbull County commissioner says officials first need to write a “mission statement.”
Commissioner Frank Fuda said Wednesday the commissioners from Mahoning and Trumbull counties will be working together more closely in the future of the port authority, which runs the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and carries out economic-development activities.
One thing they will collaborate on is a mission statement, which Fuda said needs to be written so that new board members will know what they are being asked to accomplish — before they are appointed to the position.
Another form of collaboration will be to consult with the commissioners from the other county regarding the people they appoint.
Fuda said that way there won’t be duplication on the eight-member board, and the right person will be appointed to put the best “player” in position to advance the port authority’s goals.
The board of commissioners from each county appoints four port-authority board members.
He compared it to a baseball team, saying you wouldn’t add another catcher if you already have a really good one.
“We want good members, working board members, working better as a team to make Mahoning and Trumbull counties a better place,” he said.
He added that he expects better cooperation among the port authority and other economic-development organizations. “I think you’re going to see some good changes,” he said.
The six commissioners from the two counties met with each other and with four of the five existing port-authority members in Youngstown two weeks ago for nearly four hours of closed-door meetings.
Afterward, Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler and port authority Chairman Ron Klingle said they had resolved some of their conflicts and were prepared to fill the three vacant port-authority positions and hire a new director.
At Wednesday’s port authority meeting, however, there was no public discussion of board positions or director. The board had two executive session (closed-door) meetings lasting about 90 minutes to discuss personnel.
Klingle said afterward that the hiring of a new director and filling of board positions is likely to occur soon, but he had no comment on who the new director will be.