Youngstown councilwomen move to evade mayor, law director on downtown decision

YOUNGSTOWN

City Law Director Martin Hume is refusing a request from two councilwomen to prepare legislation allowing council to have up to $40,000 for outside legal counsel.

Councilwomen Annie Gillam, D-1st, and Janet Tarpley, D-6th, didn’t disclose the reasons for the request to Hume in writing. The request would be subject to approval from the board of control if council votes in favor of it at a Tuesday special meeting. Neither councilwoman could be reached Friday by The Vindicator to comment.

The request likely comes as a result of a split on city council about who has the authority to appoint the downtown events and special projects coordinator — council or the mayor.

In a Friday letter to Gillam and Tarpley rejecting the request, Hume wrote “With respect to the question of whether council may appoint a coordinator of events and special projects, the law director has provided an opinion that it cannot” because the charter allows council to only hire council clerks, Hume wrote.

Even if council approved the legislation, it would be up to the board of control — Hume, Mayor John A. McNally and Finance Director David Bozanich — to hire a law firm. With that board’s members opposing that move, the legislation wouldn’t be enacted.

In addition to an attempt to hire an outside attorney, Gillam is sponsoring legislation for Tuesday’s special meeting rescinding the ordinance approved last week to give hiring authority over the downtown coordinator job to the mayor.

City council is meeting at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to approve a charter amendment that would reduce the number of wards from seven to five if the citizen-initiative charter amendment has enough valid signatures to get on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Read more about the disputes in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.