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New MetroParks board members to be swore in Friday
YOUNGSTOWN
Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. today will swear in his latest appointees to the Mill Creek MetroParks Board.
The judge announced Thursday that he selected Lee Frey of Canfield and Thomas Shipka of Youngstown to fill two vacant seats.
Frey and Shipka were among the five candidates referred to Judge Rusu by a screening committee that reviewed 16 applications.
The judge was “impressed with Mr. Frey’s ability to easily communicate his ideas and his past public service,” he said in a news release. Frey is a former Canfield mayor and teacher.
Shipka, former chairman of Youngstown State University’s department of philosophy and religious studies, “is a well-respected member of Mahoning County who has served in many leadership roles and brings many years of community service to the park,” the judge stated.
Judge Rusu, who by state law is responsible for appointing park board members, also noted his satisfaction with the work of the 10-member selection committee. He created the committee in April in an effort to answer calls for greater public input into MetroParks business.
“When smart, community-minded citizens get together for a common goal, the result will be positive – and that is exactly what has happened here,” he said in the release.
The new board members will take their oaths of office for the voluntary positions at 3 p.m. today at the MetroParks office in Canfield.
The MetroParks board will meet for its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at the same site, 7574 Columbiana-Canfield Road.
Frey and Shipka join board members John Ragan, Robert Durick and Germaine Bennett. They replace former board members Michael Senchak and Scott Schulick, who recently resigned their posts.