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Piccirilli accepts top mental-health board post
YOUNGSTOWN
Duane Piccirilli has accepted the executive director’s job at the Mahoning County Mental Health Board without a guarantee that he would be named head of the merged mental-health and addiction-services boards, should they combine.
Piccirilli, head of Help Hotline Crisis Center, was offered the mental-health board position at a salary of $112,000 a year.
However, he balked at signing a contract unless it contained assurance he also would become head of the combined boards, said Daniel R. Yemma, mental-health board chairman.
However, during a special meeting Tuesday, Yemma said the board refused to include a guarantee and clarification of language requested by Piccirilli.
If there is a merger of the mental-health and Mahoning County Alcohol & Drug Addiction Services Board boards, Ohio law requires that both boards be dissolved and a new board created — which would have the authority to hire a director for the new agency, Yemma said.
After the meeting, he said the board gave Piccirilli an opportunity to reconsider, and he emailed his acceptance to the board later in the week.
Yemma congratulated Piccirilli on accepting the position, which he will assume May 27. The final step in the hiring process is for the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s office to prepare a contract document followed by the formal signing.
“I am fine with the language and look forward to making the transition from Help Hotline to the mental-health board,” Piccirilli said.
The former mental-health board director, Ronald Marian, retired at the end of April. Toni Notaro, administrative director, is handling the day-to-day business of the agency in the interim.
Yemma said one of Piccirilli’s top priorities will be to guide the mental-health board through the merger process.
“That will give [Piccirilli] ample opportunity to prove that he is the best candidate to run the new combined agency,” Yemma said.