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Mill Creek MetroParks Commissioner Senchak quits after 3 months
YOUNGSTOWN
Amid controversy over recent staff cuts at Mill Creek MetroParks, Park Commissioner Michael Senchak resigned his position on the board after less than three months in the voluntary position.
Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr. of Mahoning County Probate Court, the appointing authority for the park board, said Senchak notified him Thursday he was stepping down, effective immediately. Senchak did not cite a specific reason, Judge Rusu said.
Senchak, who owns FirstLight Home Care of The Valley, was appointed to a three-year term that began in January after Atty. Louis Schiavoni opted not to seek a new term.
Judge Rusu announced he will form a committee comprised of community members to help him select Senchak’s replacement, a move he hopes will ease tensions between park leadership and members of the public who have voiced vehement opposition to the staff cuts.
He said he views it as “the first step in the healing process.”
“I want everybody to have a seat at the table and feel that they have input into who goes on the next board,” he told The Vindicator. “That gives them the opportunity to help us move forward, so we’re working together and not working against each other.”
The judge would like the selection committee to represent a variety of interests, he said. To that end, he plans to reach out to Friends of Fellows Riverside Gardens, Guardians of Mill Creek Park, Save the Wildlife in Mill Creek Park, the Mill Creek Park Foundation, park volunteers and others interested in the park system.
The judge has not yet determined how many people will sit on the selection committee, which he hopes to put together in the next few weeks. He plans for the committee to screen potential candidates, then recommend a small number for him to interview. He then will make the final selection.
“I hope that by involving the community of people who love and are committed to Mill Creek Park in this process, we are able to move forward in unity for the benefit of all,” he concluded.
In a release sent to media outlets Thursday, Judge Rusu acknowledged the recent public backlash against park leadership and outlined his role in selecting those leaders.
“Over the last several weeks, some members of the community have expressed their displeasure in regard to the recent activities of the Mill Creek Metro Park Board of commissioners and its executive director. As a consequence, I have received a few phone calls, emails and letters from concerned citizens requesting me to remove the executive director and/or the commissioners of the park board. They have even criticized the process that has been in place over 100 years on how park commissioners are selected,” he wrote.
Judge Rusu said he does not plan to remove any of the commissioners.
“While I am aware that people are upset, and that they have the right to voice their displeasure about the Park Board’s recent decisions, it is equally important that those citizens understand the role of the Probate Judge in this process,” he wrote.
Ohio law stipulates that probate judges appoint park commissioners. Judge Rusu defended that system, stating that probate court is “the least controversial, the least adversarial, and the least political county elected position.”
“In addition, the decisions of the Probate Court are subject to appellate review, comprehensive judicial ethical rules, and Ohio Supreme Court oversight. All judges strictly adhere to the Code of Judicial Conduct, the Rules for the Government of the Judiciary, and the Rules of Superintendence. One such judicial rule states: ‘A judge shall not be swayed by public clamor or fear of criticism,’” he wrote. “That is why it has taken me some time to respond to those that have contacted me. I wanted to make sure that I had all of the facts before I made a decision.”