Published: Thursday, August 3, 2006
Letters mention official's name
One résumé is from the wife of ReadyAir owner Robert Moosally.
By ED RUNYAN
WARREN — Trumbull County commissioners assigned their clerk to serve as interim administrator as officials sort through documents left behind after Administrator Tony Carson Jr. resigned.
Commissioner Paul Heltzel on Thursday opened to reporters the three folders he found in Carson's office last week containing résumés and job applications for 25 people.
Heltzel explained he'd gone through the desk July 27 looking for whatever information he could find that would assist the staff in carrying out the administrator's duties. Carson resigned July 26.
Heltzel found the résumés and applications — contained in folders marked for his colleagues, "James Tsagaris" and "Jimmy," and "Dan Polivka," for people seeking employment with the county for various departments.
Heltzel has said the résumés and applications are indicative of a problem he has seen in which Carson, Tsagaris and Polivka have used their influence to affect hiring by circumventing the personnel department and applying pressure to department heads.
Polivka and Tsagaris have not directly addressed Heltzel's allegation of employment intervention; Carson has been unavailable to comment. Polivka said "I don't know" when asked whether there's a problem with undue influence in the commissioners' office. Tsagaris' response was, "They all do that — from the city council to the prosecutor's office."
Contents of letters
Three of the papers contained references to Polivka. One of them, from a Warren woman, said she had received notice of a possible opening from Polivka and wanted to apply for a job within the county Department of Job and Family Services.
Another résumé was from a Warren man who said he was a personal computer and programming specialist who had been referred by Polivka.
A Southington woman wrote she was referred by Polivka and was interested in computer work. It was dated Jan. 23, 2006.
Most of the documents contained no dates. There were several job applications, however, which contained dates from January, April and May 2006 and December 2005. They do not indicate whether the people got jobs.
Among the résumés in the "James Tsagaris" folder is an undated résumé from Patricia Moosally of New Castle, Pa., wife of Robert Moosally, the owner of ReadyAir. The brief résumé listed her experience — with a Girard address but New Castle phone number — and said she wished to put her experience to work for Trumbull County.
ReadyAir, a fuel handler at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, filed for bankruptcy protection this year after receiving a $200,000 loan from the county's revolving loan fund in September 2005. The question of whether the county will recoup the money is being handled in bankruptcy court.
Tsagaris has said he is a personal friend of Robert Moosally, but that he is also friends with a lot of people.
Interim replacement for Carson
Despite a dispute that occurred Tuesday when Heltzel first brought up the idea of appointing commissioners' clerk Paulette Godfrey to the interim administrator position, all three commissioners approved the resolution Thursday at their regular meeting, with no discussion.
Tuesday, Tsagaris said he did not want to appoint an interim administrator until after he had talked to Carson about his resignation.
"I'm just saying he's on vacation," Tsagaris told Heltzel.
"If you're saying he's on vacation, then Alice is in Wonderland," Heltzel countered.
After Thursday's meeting, Polivka said he has had no reservations about appointing Godfrey to the position. She will be in charge of the office staff, Polivka said, and will serve as liaison among. the commissioners, which he said is one of the most important functions of the job.
Polivka said he thinks it is best to wait until January to hire a permanent replacement — after Tsagaris' replacement is sworn in. Democrat Frank Fuda will be challenged by Republican Niki Frenchko in the general election. Tsagaris, who is completing his second term, did not seek re-election.
runyan@vindy.com
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