Sciortino thumbs his nose at county taxpayers

Between the time of losing the Nov. 4, 2014, general election and getting suspended with pay March 2 by a commission of retired judges, Mahoning County Auditor Michael V. Sciortino decided to use taxpayer money to reward some of his most loyal employees.

Sciortino’s decision, done in secret, was finally exposed — initially just in part — after this newspaper received a tip and pursued it.

Giving money that the county may or may not have didn’t seem to concern Sciortino. Perhaps he thought no one would discover it and if they did, big deal, he would be out of public office and there wouldn’t be any fallout.

Maybe he thought the 14 employees receiving $49,813 in bonuses and raises deserved them. If so, to do it as a lame-duck, who also happens to be facing a very serious corruption indictment for crimes related to his office, shows arrogance and great disrespect for the taxpayers he often said he was fortunate to represent.

One of the dangers of having county auditor terms expire four months after an election is the incumbent loser can create havoc in the office, forcing the successor to live with the poor decisions made by someone who could care less about his/her responsibilities.

Knowing the clock was ticking on his term, Sciortino came to a contract agreement in January with the local 22-member union in the auditor’s office. That deal called for two $1,200 payments this past January and in January 2016 along with a 2.5 percent pay raise in January 2017.

During the same Nov. 4 election that saw Sciortino, a Democrat, get tossed out of office, voters also approved a 0.75 percent sales tax — a 0.5 percent renewal and a 0.25 increase — with county officeholders saying to trust them because they are good stewards of our money.

County commissioners, at the forefront of the good stewards push, didn’t question that union contract.

“Why would you stop the contract if they’re within the budget?” Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti said.

Maybe because the person approving the union deal is on his way out and is fighting a criminal indictment.

Another reason is Sciortino was hardly finished giving out money to employees.

We initially learned Tuesday that Sciortino gave pay increases from 1.13 percent to 12.53 percent to 13 of his 43 employees, including three to union members in violation of their contract.

Sciortino authorized some of those salary hikes on Feb. 20. That’s three days after the retired-judge panel met to consider Sciortino’s suspension and three days before the panel suspended him with pay. The panel sat on this for so long that Sciortino’s suspension came less than two weeks before his term expires March 8.

Then we found out a day later that Sciortino also gave bonuses to 14 employees — including 13 who received raises — on Feb. 12, yet again done in secret.

Carol McFall, Sciortino’s longtime deputy auditor — who received a $1,416 pay hike to $92,500, as well as the largest bonus of $2,730 — was asked by new Auditor Ralph T. Meacham, a Republican, to provide com-pensation increases.

Rather than provide full disclose, McFall failed to tell her new boss that Sciortino also gave out $28,110 in bonuses. Her old boss faces numerous counts of tampering with records, bribery, conspiracy and perjury; is suspended from his job and rejected by voters. What made McFall believe providing an altered document to Meacham that concealed the bonuses was a smart idea?

Termination

To Meacham’s credit, he fired her. How can you trust someone to be your top deputy when they’re attempting to deceive you on the second day you’re on the job? And why would McFall risk her well-paying job by not disclosing the $2,730 bonus Sciortino gave her that she wouldn’t have to give back?

It seems that arrogance and entitlement ran the county auditor’s office for far too long.