MetroParks board member Tom Shipka will not seek reappointment

YOUNGSTOWN — Mill Creek MetroParks board member Tom Shipka will not seek reappointment when his term expires at year’s end, he said in a report to Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr., the appointing authority for the MetroParks board, today.

Judge Rusu appointed Shipka to fill an unexpired term in 2016, in the wake of a controversial staff reorganization in which numerous positions were eliminated.

Shipka provided a report to the judge on his time in office, highlighting changes he identified as necessary and on which the board took action, such as the establishment of standing advisory committees to the board to provide greater public input into board decisions.

“My hope is that these changes, which I believe have helped to diminish but not dissipate anger in the community, will endure in the months and years ahead,” Shipka wrote. “This will require the ongoing commitment to them by the commissioners, the executive director and other MetroParks staff, members of the standing committees, and members of the community.”

He concluded his report by writing that he is “hopeful about the future of the MetroParks.”

“I base this hope on the fact that, despite the differences and the conflicts, all of us share a strong bond – a deep and sincere commitment to preserving and enhancing the legacy of [park founder] Volney Rogers,” Shipka said.