Youngstown school board rejects move to hire more lawyers

YOUNGSTOWN

The tumultuous Youngstown Board of Education failed to pass a resolution to hire additional legal counsel with a 3-3 vote.

Currently the board maintains legal counsel through the Roth, Blair, Roberts, Strasfeld and Lodge law firm.

Corinne Sanderson, board member, proposed the board appoint Smith Peters Kalail to provide legal services to the board.

Several board members have vocalized their discontent with CEO Krish Mohip hiring multiple lawyers “unnecessarily,” they say.

Mohip has Enis Britton and BakerHostetler on staff to “handle day-to-day school district matters,” and labor issues, respectively, said district spokeswoman Denise Dick.

“We just got on the CEO about doing this,” said Michael Murphy, board vice president and one of the no-votes. Murphy’s no-vote accompanied by board member Ronald Shadd and board president Brenda Kimble. Board members Jackie Adair, Dario Hunter and Sanderson voted in its favor.

Murphy suggested the board review more firms as a group before agreeing to hire appoint a firm.

Hunter, however, called the process Murphy suggested as “thumb twiddling.”

Dick said despite what the board decides in regard to appointing a law firm, the official decision will fall upon Mohip because it will require money, and financial responsibility lies with the CEO.

Read more about the meeting in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.