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McNally retains power to hire Youngstown's downtown director
YOUNGSTOWN
Mayor John A. McNally gets to keep the ability to hire the coordinator of downtown events and special projects.
By a 4-3 vote Wednesday, city council rejected a proposal to overturn previous legislation that gave the mayor that authority.
Four of council’s seven members had voted in recent weeks to overturn the ordinance the body approved Aug. 20.
The final council vote to approve rescinding the mayoral authority was Wednesday.
Councilman Nate Pinkard, D-3rd, who had voted with the majority twice before, switched his vote, defeating the ordinance.
“I changed my mind,” he said.
Law Director Martin Hume had stated numerous times that the city charter allows council to hire only its own clerks, and provided a legal opinion reiterating that.
“Taking all things into consideration with the city charter and the recommendation of the law director” I voted no, Pinkard said. “It’s been voted on by council for a number of years, [but] apparently the position does not belong to council.”
Councilwoman Janet Tarpley, D-6th, who wanted to rescind the ordinance that gave the mayor the power to appoint, said she wasn’t disappointed with the final vote.
Tarpley, who serves as council president pro tem, said she made the mistake at the Aug. 20 meeting to not have a separate vote to give the mayor the power to hire the downtown director. Instead, it was part of a series of ordinances passed by city council by emergency measure.
Tarpley had wanted last month to introduce legislation to provide up to $40,000 to council to hire outside legal counsel to contest the decision.
She said Wednesday she’s ready to move on.
“We can better use our energy to move the city forward,” Tarpley said. “I don’t want to fight the mayor when we can work together.”
McNally said he was pleased with the vote, and a five-member committee he put together should have a recommendation to him next week as to who should be considered for the position.
Fifty-four applicants are seeking the job, which pays about $41,000 annually.
The position was last held by Lyndsey Hughes, who resigned, effective May 21, as part of a monetary settlement agreement related to her being sexually harassed on the job by DeMaine Kitchen, the former chief of staff/secretary to the mayor.