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New Ohio House member Lepore-Hagan loses job at YSU
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Lepore-Hagan
YOUNGSTOWN
After nearly 28 years working at Youngstown State University, new state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan no longer is employed there and said she “feel[s] very slighted” by the “poor treatment” she received from the school.
Lepore-Hagan of Youngstown, D-58th, had to resign, effective Dec. 31, as director of YSU’s Performing Arts Series after being told by Tony Bledsoe, executive director/legislative inspector general with the Ohio Joint Legislative Ethics Committee, that it would be a conflict of interest and illegal to be an Ohio House member and director of a department at a public university.
Lepore-Hagan said she had discussions with YSU officials after winning the Democratic primary in May for the House seat — she ran unopposed in the November general election and succeeded her husband, Robert F. Hagan — about working part time as the series’ assistant director as that would be permissible.
She said Bryan DePoy, then the dean of YSU’s creative arts and communication department and her boss, agreed to the change, but Michael Crist, the interim dean who replaced DePoy, recently told her the university didn’t want to go in that direction.
Lepore-Hagan contends this happened because she’s a woman and accused YSU of practicing sexual discrimination.
“If this was [a man], they wouldn’t be doing this,” she said. “I love my work. I’ve been at YSU for 28 years. I was elected to a part-time two-year position to serve in the Legislature. This sends a terrible message to women. I’m the collateral damage. It’s disrespectful. It’s happening a lot on campus.”
She said female employees at YSU have been overlooked for promotions and have had their positions eliminated.
“I don’t want women to think if they run for office that their jobs will be eliminated if they win,” Lepore-Hagan said. “I understand there are budget cuts at the university. I deserved a little better treatment, and so do all the women at the university.”
Ron Cole, YSU spokesman, strongly denied Lepore-Hagan’s claims of sexism at the university.
“Any allegations of that sort are completely unfounded and completely irrelevant,” he said.
Also, Lepore-Hagan chose to take the legislative office knowing she would have to give up her YSU job, Cole said.
“With her resignation and with the budgetary constraints we face here, we are in the process of evaluating the staffing needs of the performing arts series,” he said. “At this time, the university is moving forward with filling the now-vacant director position.”
The performing-arts series has a deputy director, Lori A. Factor, so there’s no need to have another deputy at this point, Cole said.
Lepore-Hagan said her understanding when talking to YSU officials was that Factor would be promoted and she would become the deputy director on a part-time basis.
If Factor is selected as director, Cole said, “there would need to be a determination on having an assistant director.”
Lepore-Hagan earned $47,089 as director, a 32-hour-a-week position. She’s had that job since 2001. Before that, she spent about 14 years as theater manager at YSU’s Department of Communication and Theater.
She said her pay as assistant director, for a 20-hour workweek, would be about $25,000. She is earning $60,584 annually as an Ohio House member.
“I’m not complaining about money,” she said. “It’s about keeping your job and not being discouraged from doing so because you’re a woman. We came to an agreement that was best for students and faculty that I’d go to a part-time assistant director and the assistant director would go to director.
“I’ll always fight for and support YSU, but I feel very slighted.”