Boccieri calls for reform of Mill Creek MetroParks board appointments

COLUMBUS

State Rep. John Boccieri, of Poland, is calling for reform of the process by which Mill Creek MetroParks board members are appointed.

Boccieri, D-59th, in a release today said county commissioners would be better suited to handle park board appointments than probate judges, and is working on legislation to transfer that power to them.

He also responded to recent remarks by Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert N. Rusu, Jr. in defense of the system in Ohio in which probate judges appoint park boards. Judge Rusu, in an announcement that he would convene a citizens’ committee to help him select a new park commissioner, contended that probate judges are the least political elected county officials.

“According to my constituents and articles in media outlets across the Valley, the cries for public input were ignored during the hiring process of our current executive director,” said Boccieri in the release. “I applaud Judge Rusu for opening up the process to concerned citizens for the nomination of this new board member.”

“However, I disagree with the suggestion that commissioners appoint board members for political gain,” Boccieri said. “By and large, commissioners appoint board members who strongly believe in helping the community. These individuals are selfless, unpaid members that want to make a difference by serving on boards of mental health, drug addiction services and children’s services.”

“County commissioners appoint nearly every board in the county, boards that crisscross political jurisdictions and are responsible to the public for financial budgets,” Boccieri continued. “If the Metro Park board ever plummeted into receivership because they could not pay their bills, the probate judge isn’t going to bail out the park; the commissioners are the fiduciaries of the county.”

Boccieri currently is seeking cosponsors for the draft bill.