Niles mayor faces backlash after firing safety service director

NILES

Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia’s decision to fire Safety Service Director James DePasquale Tuesday has led to an immediate backlash from a member of the fiscal commission — who says Scarnecchia should be gone as well.

“He can’t handle the job,” said John Davis, a frequent critic of the mayor who had called for the mayor’s resignation in a Vindicator interview last December and repeated it Tuesday night. “We cannot get a plan to work over the long term with his leadership.”

Davis said he did not always agree with DePasquale, “but Jimmy was loyalty with a Capital L and I’m disappointed.”

The commission has overseen city spending since Niles was declared in fiscal emergency in October 2014.

Scarnecchia did not respond to multiple messages requesting an explanation. The mayor had issued no formal announcement about his decision, which first became public on social media. He told Vindicator broadcast partner 21-WFMJ TV that DePasquale was “no longer a good fit for the city.”

The mayor summarily fired DePasquale apparently for actions that he felt were counter to his policies. Those included a pay increase granted to a union member without council approval. DePasquale also ran afoul of the mayor in March 2016 when he attempted to give city employees an extra day off during the Easter weekend without approval from the mayor or council. An angry Scarnecchia, who had been in the hospital for tests at the time, rescinded the director’s edict.

DePasquale, a retired city employee, was named service director when the mayor took office in January 2016. He added safety director to his list of responsibilities to save money at the mayor and council’s urging, but did so reluctantly.

DePasquale did not get a pay increase despite taking on the added position when it became vacant. The city’s authorized strength ordinance lists Depasquale’s salary at $51,000 a year.

The director had previously been publicly criticized for purportedly siding with unions more than with the administration. A message left for DePasquale was not returned.