Officials Hail 'Productive' Port Authority Meeting
VIENNA, Ohio -- As it stands, the Board of Mahoning County Commissioners will not pull its funding for the Western Reserve Port Authority at its meeting tomorrow, say officials.
"That's not even an option at this point," Mahoning County Commissioner Anthony Traficanti said after the port authority's regular meeting Wednesday morning. "This airport depends upon that money, the air base depends upon that money."
Members of the port authority convened a one-hour executive session with Traficanti and fellow Mahoning County commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti in what Port Authortiy Chairman Ron Klingle described as the "beginning of a new relationship" between the board and Trumbull and Mahoning counties.
The executive session was called to discuss the issue of appointing an interim executive director. Businessman John Moliterno has told the port authority that he would be willing to serve on an interim basis while the board initiated a public search for a full-time director.
However, Mahoning County Commissioner David Ditzler was quoted by the Tribune Chronicle as saying he would present a resolution at the Mahoning County commissioners' meeting Thursday withdrawing the county's share of funding should the board move forward and appoint an interim executive director.
No action regarding an executive director was taken after executive session. Ditzler was out of town and did not attend the meeting Wednesday morning.
"What we've just gone through in the last few minutes, in my opinion, is probably the most productive meeting the port authority has ever had," Klingle told the board and guests after the executive session. "The conversation that just took place is the beginning of a new relationship with the county commissioners' offices of both Trumbull and Mahoning counties."
It was speculated earlier that the board could consider the appointment of a new interim executive director for the port authority -- namely Moliterno -- at the meeting this morning.
Moliterno had also applied to fill the remaining term of the late Trumbull County Commissioner Paul Heltzel, who died June 30. He has since withdrawn his application.
"Today was very good opportunity for us to have a face-to-face conversation with Mahoning County commissioners," Klingle said. "We have a very good understanding of how we're going to communicate going forward. We're planning additional meetings in the very near future."
Traficanti agreed that the meeting proved productive, and the county's first order of business is to fill its two vacancies on the board before any new executive director is appointed. "There's been a lot of rhetoric in the press, some negative, and we want to move beyond that," he told reporters. "We would like to get the infrastructure put in so these folks can do their job and make this airport second to none."
Each county appoints four members to the port authority's board, which oversees operations of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. Earlier this year, Mahoning County appointees Scott Lynn and Richard Schiraldi resigned, as did Trumbull County appointee James Floyd.
Yet Klingle stressed a sense of urgency to get someone at the helm of the port authority as quickly as possible. "There's a lot of day-to-day stuff that needs attention. We need somebody here to make sure things are properly followed through."
He said that it's likely an interim director will be appointed "in the very near future," followed by a public selection process that will involve both Trumbull and Mahoning County commissioners. A new full-time director could be hired by the end of the year.
Aside from Moliterno, Klingle said he's had 10 or 15 phone calls from other individuals who would be interested in the position. "There's a lot of interest there."
Klingle noted that Moliterno would be an "excellent choice," but deferred to a selection process that is inclusive to all stakeholders. "It's going to be a process that everybody is going to be on the same page to make that happen."
Traficanti and Klingle confirmed another meeting is to be held next week between representatives of the port authority commissioners from both counties.
"Cooler heads should prevail," Traficanti says. "Down the road, we're going to be hosting a meeting here with Trumbull County commissioners and Ron Klingle for further dialogue, further clarification, as to the direction Mahoning County and Trumbull County wish to go."
"There are too many projects in the hopper right now that we don't want to see jeapordized," Traficanti said. "We want to move ahead. Mahoning County is a partner in this and we want everybody on board."
Klingle stressed communication is key to success. "It's going to be a very good relationship going forward."
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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