Trumbull officials disagree about rehiring of Ernie Cook after retirement

WARREN

The Trumbull County human-resources director recommended during a public hearing Wednesday the retire and rehire of Ernie Cook as county 911 director.

Mary Williams of Cortland, local school board member and Republican candidate last fall for county commissioner, argued against it, saying she “always locally fights retire/rehires.”

The county commissioners said they will take the matter under advisement and decide later.

Richard Jackson, hired as HR director last August, said he supports Cook’s receiving his police pension and keeping his 911 director paycheck because it won’t increase the county’s cost and because Cook is “doing a good job.” Cook earns $80,816 annually,

Jackson said Cook currently gets six weeks of paid vacation. After his retire and rehire, he would get only two.

“The 911 center also enjoys good working relationships with the various Trumbull County safety forces” under Cook, Jackson said.

Williams, a member of the Lake-view and Trumbull Career and Technical Center school boards, said she only believes in allowing someone to earn a public-employee pension and a public-employee paycheck at the same time if there are extraordinary circumstances.

Read more about the situation in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.