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WARREN -- Two Republican candidates are asking voters for a chance to take a shot at adding a new party to the all-Democrat held Board of Trumbull County Commissioners.
Rex Fee, 63, Champion, a Champion trustee from 2015 to 2019, and Niki Frenchko, 45, Warren, owner of a real estate consulting firm and a Realtor, are both asking Republican voters for a chance to go up against whichever Democrat wins the party's nomination March 17. Dan Polivka, a Democrat running against two others, now holds the commissioner seat Fee and Frenchko are seeking.
Fee started at the Trumbull County Sanitary Engineer's Office in 1983 as a draftsman and engineering aide, before moving up to assistant sanitary engineer in 1998 and executive director of the sanitary engineer's office in 2007. He retired from the position in 2015 and went on to become a township trustee. He received a degree in civil engineering from Youngstown State University in 1984.
Frenchko was in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1991 to 2000. She received a degree from Youngstown State University in social work in 1999, a master's of public administration from Kent State University in 2002 and has completed real estate salesperson training. She worked as a graduate intern at the Trumbull County Planning Commission from 2001 to 2003, as a community development and housing rehabilitation specialist with CT Consultants from 2003 to 2008 and has owned her own consulting and real estate business since 2008.
While Fee was the executive director of the sanitary engineer's department, he managed 66 employees; coordinated funding, construction and completion of sewer and water expansion projects; participated in labor contract negotiations; oversaw the wastewater treatment facilities and the reports required by the Environmental Protection Agency; studied rate increases; and left the department in a fiscally responsible place, according to his resume.
While working for CT Consultants, Frenchko worked on grant programs that helped fund projects in several Ohio counties, developed and modified housing programs for several communities, and administered grant programs. While at the planning commission, she monitored grant programs for federal compliance, worked on comprehensive community plans, worked on data compilation to assist in grant applications and monitored tax abatements for compliance. As a business owner, she offered development consulting services and stayed up-to-date on housing laws and property management tools, and connected home buyers with financing and grant programs, according to her resume.
As a Champion trustee, Fee served as chairman for two years, helped pass a five-year road levy, entered an emergency medical service agreement with a neighboring township, helped obtain police Tasers, assisted in equipment purchasing and helped obtain grants for road resurfacing, according to his resume.
Frenchko said she is proud of her work on the Trumbull County Senior Services Advisory Council, an appointment she was given by commissioners in 2017, where she serves as chair of the transportation subcommittee. On the council, Frenchko led a charge to ensure senior levy funds set aside for senior transportation were spent only on senior transportation rather than transportation for the county as a whole, worked on bid packages and bid selection for senior services funded with the levy.
Fee said he wants to help the county get health care costs under control, not just for county employees, but to help create a county-wide health care purchasing consortium for employees of the county, cities and townships.
"Health care has become the single most financial drain facing counties, cities and townships in the states. Although it surfaces in conversation at times, I feel that it is swept aside and only discussed when labor contract negotiations are up for renewal. Management and labor need to schedule health care meetings a minimum of one to one-and-a-half years prior to negotiation to get out from the window of time constraints," Fee said.
Fee also wants to see the county stand up to cities that are creating high utility rates for the communities outside city limits. He said commissioners appear to take a "neutral" stance, but they have more power than they are using. Examples include the increased sewer treatment rates Warren won in negotiations with the county for services in Lordstown and Champion, the attempt of Niles to annex Weathersfield and Howland residents because of utility offerings and the upcharges Girard asks Liberty customers to pay.
Frenchko said she wants to be a leader for a change in the culture of the commissioners office, eliminating "cronyism and nepotism," further economic development but do it in a more sustainable way and improve fiscal responsibility.
"We will save money, and replace mismanagement with accountability and forethought, and internally implement recommendations of the budget study identified," Frenchko said. "Further, I support a division of administrative duties among the commissioners, who are being paid more than $85,000 a year for less than a day's work per week. Departments will be required to operate on leaner budgets and jobs will not be created for friends and family. I will work to develop a citizen oversight committee to ensure we develop greater transparency in hiring and staffing."
rfox@tribtoday.com
Rex Fee
AGE: 63
COMMUNITY: Champion
POLITICAL PARTY: Republican
PREVIOUS ELECTED EXPERIENCE: Champion Township trustee 2015-19
THREE GOALS: Lowering health care costs in the county with targeted negotiations with unions; creating a countywide health care consortium for county, township and city employees; and to nurture cooperative relationships and contracts between cities, townships and the county when it comes to utility agreements.
NOTABLE QUOTE: "The board of county commissioners have a responsibility to support townships in the face of obvious money grabs when it comes to water and sewer utility negotiations. Township residents should not be asked to pay more than their fair share to keep costs low for city residents. The commissioners have to stand up to the cities. "
Niki Frenchko
AGE: 45
COMMUNITY: Warren
POLITICAL PARTY: Republican
PREVIOUS ELECTED EXPERIENCE: none
THREE GOALS: Changing the culture and image of the county government by working to end cronyism; hold the county to high standards of fiscal responsibility by implementing recommendations made by the county's budget committee; and working to create sustainable and collaborative economic development.
NOTABLE QUOTE: "Departments will be required to operate on leaner budgets, and jobs will not be created for friends and family. I will work to develop a citizen oversight committee to ensure we develop greater transparency in hiring and staffing. … I support group purchasing, streamlining and reorganizing management."