43
Youngstown mayor creates a charter review committee
YOUNGSTOWN
Mayor John A. McNally appointed seven residents to a charter review committee to come up with recommendations for voters to consider during the November general election.
The committee will begin meeting in a few weeks, said Christopher Travers, appointed by McNally as the committee’s chairman.
McNally said he would like the committee to make about three to six proposals to change the city’s charter, but what its members decide is up to them.
The mayor added he “wouldn’t like to see 17 recommendations like the last time. It’s important they come up with a smaller set of recommendations.”
McNally was referring to the 2012 committee that made 17 recommendations. City council, which ultimately decides how many of the committee’s proposals get on the ballot, accepted only four in 2012, and two of those four were changed by council.
Travers, president of the 7th Ward Citizens Coalition, said he doesn’t know how many recommendations the committee will make.
But he praised the 2012 committee.
“The previous committee did a yeoman’s job of looking at the charter,” Travers said. “Thirteen of their proposals were not put on the ballot in 2012. There were some essential things that were unfinished that never saw the ballot. But how we’re going to attack those will be determined by the committee when we get together.”
Also appointed by McNally to the committee are:
Scott Schulick, vice president of Stifel Nicolaus, a financial firm, and a member of the 2012 charter review committee.
Nikki Posterli, fiscal officer for the Mahoning County Children’s Services Board and a 2012 charter review committee member.
Amber Beall, a teacher at Akiva Academy and a member of the Wick Park Neighborhood Association.
Delores Crawford, a Youngstown State University Board of Trustees member and a former Mahoning County Department of Job and Family Services director.
Robert E. Bush Jr., county JFS director and a former city police chief and law director.
Cynthia Garcia, a county Democratic Party precinct committeewoman.
“These are people I know well,” McNally said. “The committee is not designed to change the form of government but to clean things up.”
If the committee members want his advice, McNally said he’ll give it to them.
The committee will have proposals finished by the end of summer to give the city’s law department time to review the proposals and for city council to determine what will be on the fall ballot, Travers said.
The city charter requires the mayor to convene a review committee every four years.
McNally is the first mayor in years to do that. Before the 2012 committee, the previous group met in 2004.
The 2004 committee made two recommendations: requiring council to review and update when necessary the city’s comprehensive plan after each census; and eliminating council aides and their annual salaries of $27,817.24, with $28,117.24 for the council’s president’s aide, and giving the money directly to council members. Both amendments were approved by voters in the Nov. 2, 2004, election.
The 2012 committee – with three appointed by then-Mayor Charles Sammarone and one each by the seven council members and council president – came up with 17 proposals including eliminating council president as an elected position, having nonpartisan elections, cutting the pay of council members, having the charter review committee meet annually, making it easier to have recall votes and requiring all council meetings to start no earlier than 6 p.m.
Council agreed with the committee to create a conflict-of-interest policy and to have the city be in compliance with the starting and ending dates of daylight saving time even though the city already followed it.
Council also supported one part of committee’s proposal to eliminate term limits for the mayor, but rejected the other half of the recommendation to create the position of vice mayor.
Council also agreed to a ward redistricting policy, though it watered down the committee’s recommendation.
Voters approved all four proposals in the Nov. 6, 2012, general election, and council redistricted the wards in time for the 2015 primary.
Council put another recommendation from the 2012 committee on the ballot Nov. 5, 2013, to eliminate the park and recreation commission. It was approved by voters.