Three vie for Niles treasurer position

By Jordan Cohen

news@vindy.com

NILES

Despite being a low-paying, part-time position during a stressful time of fiscal emergency, the post of Niles treasurer has attracted three applicants who will vie for the job when the Democratic Precinct Committee decides June 8.

The three – the current interim treasurer, the husband of a Trumbull County judge and the stepson of a county commissioner – will seek to fill the unexpired term of Robert Swauger, who resigned earlier this month.

The treasurer’s office has been the focus of considerable attention by state auditors and the commission overseeing Niles finances for its inability to reconcile city financial records and make timely deposits as required by state law.

Auditors have called for eliminating the income-tax department and outsourcing tax collection, possibly to the Regional Income Tax Agency.

Janet Rizer-Jones, the current interim treasurer appointed by Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia, says she resolved the deposit issue.

“We’ve already made procedural changes to get the money to the bank sooner,” said Rizer-Jones, who is no stranger to the department, having worked in it for 31 years, the past 15 years as income-tax director during the 1990s.

At this week’s Financial Planning and Supervision Commission meeting, Rizer-Jones received a ringing endorsement from Jim Armeni, the state auditor’s regional liaison.

“She gets it,” Armeni told the commission. “I hope she becomes a permanent appointment.”

As for the fate of the tax department, Rizer-Jones, 59, worries that the downsized staff of only two employees may not be able to handle the workload.

“I don’t want to see it go to RITA, but I’m not sure that two people can get the work done,” she said.

“Our city is in crisis and our tax department on life support,” said Thomas Harwood, 70, a retired business executive, who promises to be a “full-time treasurer working on part-time pay” if he is selected by the committee. Harwood, the husband of Family Court Judge Sandra Stabile Harwood, describes himself as a “fast read” able to learn the intricacies and challenges of the department “in a few days, not weeks or months.”

Harwood said one of his first actions if he becomes treasurer will be to eliminate the tax-director position and combine it with his responsibilities. “The status quo has to change,” he said.

“If I feel that the training obstacles in changing the culture of that department are too great, then yes, I would go with RITA,” Harwood said, adding that he could decide to retain the tax department if it enables him to “give council and the mayor intelligent and accurate financial direction.”

Harwood, who is not an accountant, said he has written accounting software for the aftermarket auto industry.

The third candidate, Drew Bistarkey, 48, is a Niles native who moved back to the city four years ago after serving 26 years in the Air Force. Bistarkey said he is lead instructor at American National University in Liberty Township where he teaches economics, human resources and business courses.

“There is not a lot of economic vision, and I think that’s important for this position,” said Bistarkey who served as chief financial officer responsible for overseeing a $15 million general fund for a Northern California Air Force recruiting squadron.

Bistarkey, stepson of Trumbull Commissioner Frank Fuda, said he would need further study before deciding on outsourcing the tax department.

“I would have to look at a cost-benefit analysis long- term for both programs,” he said. “You have to look at opportunity costs, particularly lost opportunity, if Niles residents lose their jobs.

“I have a proven record in change management, and things have to change in Niles,” Bistarkey said.