Published: Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Strickland picks 3 from Valley for his teams
A Columbiana County commissioner will serve as a team coordinator.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Gov.-elect Ted Strickland appointed Mahoning Valley politicians to serve as co-chairmen of two of his 14 transition teams, and a Youngstown native as head of his ethics team.
Strickland, of Lisbon, along with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, the transition team's chairman, announced the team leaders Monday. The teams will concentrate on 14 major areas, which include personnel, economic development and work force issues, government efficiency, and education.
"The 14 teams are responsible for budget, regulatory and performance reviews at government agencies," said Keith Dailey, a Strickland spokesman. "They'll report their findings to the new administration and their evaluation of current practices. This is a group of talented and professional leaders from across the state."
Strickland tapped Mahoning County Treasurer John Reardon, of Boardman, to serve as one of two chairs of the budget and revenues team. The team will oversee the budget, organization, resources, major issues and performance of the state's Office of Budget and Management, the Department of Taxation and the Information Technology Department.
The team will offer three reports, one for each department, with assessments of the current operations and recommendations to improve them, Reardon said. The reports are supposed to be done no later than Jan. 8, the date Strickland is sworn in as governor.
Reardon said he will travel one to two days a week to Columbus leading to the swearing-in as well as spend time on teleconferences and e-mailing his co-chair and the 40 to 50 volunteers on the team.
Administration talk
Reardon is among a handful of Valley officials mentioned as possibly joining Strickland's administration. Reardon said he's had no discussions with Strickland or the incoming administration about that.
State Sen.-elect John Boccieri, of New Middletown, D-33rd, said Reardon's transition team appointment is a "significant position."
Strickland named Boccieri, a major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, as one of three co-chairs of the veterans affairs transition team. Boccieri, a C-130 pilot, served four tours of duty in Iraq.
As a member of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Strickland has a strong interest in the issues involving those who serve and served in the military, Boccieri said.
Boccieri said his committee will outline recommendations as to how the state can improve veterans' affairs. Boccieri would like to see veterans affairs become a Cabinet position on the state level. There are now 23 department heads in the governor's Cabinet.
Strickland selected Columbiana County Commissioner Sean Logan, of Lisbon, a former state House member, to serve on the environment and natural resources transition team and be the team's coordinator regarding the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Logan has extensive experience with natural resources serving as the ranking minority member on the House's then-Energy and Environment Committee, and spent six years on the then-Agriculture and Resources Committee. Both committees have been renamed since Logan left the Legislature in 2002.
Logan is now the president of the Crossroads Resource Conservation and Development Council, an organization that assists local groups in 10 counties — including Mahoning and Columbiana — with environmental-related projects.
As for a position in the Strickland administration, Logan said there's been no discussion about it.
Strickland selected retired Judge Nathaniel Jones of the U.S. 6th District Court of Appeals to serve as chairman of the ethics transition team. Judge Jones was born and raised in Youngstown, and one of the city's two federal courthouses is named in his honor. He lives in the Cincinnati area.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
A Columbiana County commissioner will serve as a team coordinator.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Gov.-elect Ted Strickland appointed Mahoning Valley politicians to serve as co-chairmen of two of his 14 transition teams, and a Youngstown native as head of his ethics team.
Strickland, of Lisbon, along with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, the transition team's chairman, announced the team leaders Monday. The teams will concentrate on 14 major areas, which include personnel, economic development and work force issues, government efficiency, and education.
"The 14 teams are responsible for budget, regulatory and performance reviews at government agencies," said Keith Dailey, a Strickland spokesman. "They'll report their findings to the new administration and their evaluation of current practices. This is a group of talented and professional leaders from across the state."
Strickland tapped Mahoning County Treasurer John Reardon, of Boardman, to serve as one of two chairs of the budget and revenues team. The team will oversee the budget, organization, resources, major issues and performance of the state's Office of Budget and Management, the Department of Taxation and the Information Technology Department.
The team will offer three reports, one for each department, with assessments of the current operations and recommendations to improve them, Reardon said. The reports are supposed to be done no later than Jan. 8, the date Strickland is sworn in as governor.
Reardon said he will travel one to two days a week to Columbus leading to the swearing-in as well as spend time on teleconferences and e-mailing his co-chair and the 40 to 50 volunteers on the team.
Administration talk
Reardon is among a handful of Valley officials mentioned as possibly joining Strickland's administration. Reardon said he's had no discussions with Strickland or the incoming administration about that.
State Sen.-elect John Boccieri, of New Middletown, D-33rd, said Reardon's transition team appointment is a "significant position."
Strickland named Boccieri, a major in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, as one of three co-chairs of the veterans affairs transition team. Boccieri, a C-130 pilot, served four tours of duty in Iraq.
As a member of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Strickland has a strong interest in the issues involving those who serve and served in the military, Boccieri said.
Boccieri said his committee will outline recommendations as to how the state can improve veterans' affairs. Boccieri would like to see veterans affairs become a Cabinet position on the state level. There are now 23 department heads in the governor's Cabinet.
Strickland selected Columbiana County Commissioner Sean Logan, of Lisbon, a former state House member, to serve on the environment and natural resources transition team and be the team's coordinator regarding the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Logan has extensive experience with natural resources serving as the ranking minority member on the House's then-Energy and Environment Committee, and spent six years on the then-Agriculture and Resources Committee. Both committees have been renamed since Logan left the Legislature in 2002.
Logan is now the president of the Crossroads Resource Conservation and Development Council, an organization that assists local groups in 10 counties — including Mahoning and Columbiana — with environmental-related projects.
As for a position in the Strickland administration, Logan said there's been no discussion about it.
Strickland selected retired Judge Nathaniel Jones of the U.S. 6th District Court of Appeals to serve as chairman of the ethics transition team. Judge Jones was born and raised in Youngstown, and one of the city's two federal courthouses is named in his honor. He lives in the Cincinnati area.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
including Mahoning and Columbiana — with environmental-related projects.
As for a position in the Strickland...
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