Niles Democrats select Rizer-Jones over Harwood

June 9, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

Part-time position pays annual salary of $7,590

NILES

Janet Rizer-Jones, whose work the last month as interim treasurer drew praise from city council and a state auditor liaison, will stay in the office.

The Niles Democratic Precinct Committee rewarded her efforts by voting 7-3 in favor of Rizer-Jones over Thomas Harwood to fill the unexpired term of Robert Swauger, who resigned last month.

The treasurer position is part-time and pays an annual salary of $7,590.

“That’s wonderful,” she said when told of her margin of victory. “I’m thrilled they have confidence in me.”

There are 15 committee members, but five did not attend Wednesday’s vote.

The unexpired term for treasurer runs through 2017. Rizer-Jones says she expects to run for the office in next year’s primary election.

Rizer-Jones, 59, had been appointed by Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia and promptly set about correcting an office said to be in disarray.

Niles has been in fiscal emergency since October 2014, and the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission in charge of approving city spending had demanded had reconciliation for a clearer picture of Niles’ financial state, which Swauger had been unable to complete.

In addition, nearly $154,000 in tax payments had not been deposited for more than a month.

The interim treasurer was able to complete the deposits within a few days and set her sights on reconciliation.

“We’ve reconciled the books for May, and we’ll be starting reconciliation training next Monday,” Rizer-Jones said after the vote.

“I have good rapport with the fiscal supervisors, and we’re progressing every day.”

Harwood, chairman of the city civil-service commission, said before to the vote he was running for the position and not against Rizer-Jones.

He said afterward that he might consider running for city council.

“If Janet is doing a good job, I see no reason to challenge her,” he said, “but I’m not going away.”

One issue hanging over the vote is the possible elimination of the income- tax department in the treasurer’s office and outsourcing collections to the Regional Income Tax Agency.

Rizer-Jones did not address the controversy during her remarks to the committee, but had previously told The Vindicator she did not want “to see anything outsourced.”

Harwood brought up the subject during his remarks, but did not speak either for or against it.

Meanwhile, Scarnecchia, who is a precinct committee member, expects to have a decision on outsourcing by Wednesday’s council meeting if a new five-year financial forecast is completed by then.

The mayor has been under pressure from Ohio Auditor Dave Yost to outsource tax collection.