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CLICK HERE to listen to audio of the March 24, 2021, commissioners meeting
WARREN -- The president of the Board of Trumbull County Commissioners considered bringing security into their meeting Wednesday when two of the commissioners argued, talking over one another and ignoring his calls for them to speak one at a time.
Commissioners Niki Frenchko and Frank Fuda argued about who has yelled at one another and staff members, whether or not it is disrespectful to call women working in the office "girls" and county hiring practices.
"We are going to move on. We are not going to have people talking over each other. Shy of getting security in here and getting a hold of the meeting, we have to go one at a time," Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa pleaded with the other two, who once worked together when Frenchko was campaigning for the seat, costing Fuda clout with local Democrats who took offense to his support of a Republican against former Commissioner Dan Polivka.
Fuda started the discussion by bringing up an incident earlier this month when Frenchko entered an office following a meeting, interrupting a talk between Cantalamessa and Fuda.
She accused Fuda of talking about her and discussing county business behind closed doors, violating public meeting laws.
"I heard (Fuda) say, 'anything she touches she ruins' and then begin to talk about how to get the building done," she said, referring to talk of building a shelter for vaccination distribution at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds, a now seemingly abandoned plan after it was found it would take too long to get done.
Fuda said the two were talking about sports.
"You can't assume people are talking about you all the time," Fuda said.
Fuda began speaking about Frenchko's accusation that Fuda yells at women staff members and her in the office.
Fuda said he has raised his voice before, but never yells.
"I was upset because we've been trying to do things here also, Ms. Frenchko," Fuda said. "The girls work for all of us -- "
Before he finished speaking, Frenchko cut in.
"Do not call women 'girls'; they're adults," she said.
"Ms. Frenchko, No. 1., you should talk to the ladies on the floor here; they said they told you they'd rather be called 'girls.' So, you have an opinion, and that's fine. Go down to the second floor and third, the women don't mind being called 'girls,'" Fuda said, and said Frenchko herself has said things like "us girls have to stick together."
Frenchko said that wasn't true.
"Ms. Frenchko, I got to ask you, why are you accusing me of yelling at you when I've never done it one time? I've been working as a commissioner for 14 years. ... the women in all of our buildings, I talk to all of those women; they'll tell you that," Fuda said.
Later in the meeting, Lisa Freeman Williamson called in and asked Fuda to reconsider his stance on the term "girls."
"As an African-American woman, bearing the history of my adult forebearers being addressed as 'boy' or 'girl' as a form of abject disrespect, I would ask you, Commissioner Fuda, to consider your authority and standing in relation to the individuals that you feel are fine with being addressed as 'girl,'" she said.
Fuda said the women are OK with it. Freeman Williamson said because Fuda is in charge, his authority and standing over them means they are unlikely to be able to tell him it bothers them.
Frenchko said the term "girls" is disrespectful and insulting.
"This is an ongoing issue … Something I ran on was changing the culture to make it more professional. The women in the office have been yelled at. I have been yelled at by Commissioner Fuda to the point where I had to ... say 'I am not your subordinate. I am your equal -- do not talk to me like a child or scream at me,'" she said. "I heard Ms. Paulette Godfrey being yelled at ... the rest of the staff was shaken up. This was something that did occur, and the women have told me in confidence because they have been afraid of speaking up about the conditions in the workplace. And that needs to change."
Fuda said Frenchko "can keep making up stories" and asked Godfrey, the clerk of the board, if he ever yelled at her.
"Yes, Mr. Fuda, you've yelled at me. And several times you spoke to me through gritted teeth like you were so angry with me, and I didn't know what I did wrong. And I told you that ... I did tell you, 'Yes, you did yell at me' that day. Everybody knows you yelled at me that day, that one day," Godfrey responded.
Cantalamessa interjected.
"This has to end. There has to be communication here between the parties before we, in my opinion, go on the floor here and do this sort of thing. And you guys can both hate me for whatever, but until you guys start talking and hashing some of this stuff out ... We don't have to like each other. We certainly don't have to like each other," he said.
Fuda retorted with: "The first day that Ms. Frenchko came to the office, she gave us a list of people she wanted to get rid of."
"That is not true," she responded.
Fuda said he disagreed with her and that caused the two to split. He said Frenchko yelled at and "provoked" Richard Jackson, director of human resources, and then punished him. Jackson has filed complaints regarding the 17-day suspension he received after the incident,
"We shouldn't be talking about pending litigation; you're putting our county at risk, sir," Frenchko said.
"No, you are," Fuda responded.
Soon, every time Fuda began to speak, Frenchko spoke over him, repeating, "Sir, this is enough," and, "Sir, that is a lie."
That was when Cantalamessa mentioned security and went to adjourn the meeting, but members of the public waiting for a turn to speak asked him to allow public comments. He did.
After some comments, discussion turned to hiring practices. Frenchko said she wants candidates to be considered based on experience and a ranking system and that commissioners shouldn't know the names of candidates being considered.
Fuda said Frenchko has recommended hiring attorney Matt Blair for HR consulting work without going through a process like that.
"No... no ... no," she repeated as Fuda tried to talk.
"Please let him finish; this is valid," Cantalamessa said.
Frenchko said she wanted to consider Blair for "professional services" not as an employee, so it is different.
Fuda said Frenchko wanted to force someone out of a job he has held for 10 years to put someone in she favors. Frenchko said the position never was advertised as it should have been, and that a qualified black woman was passed up. She said the commissioners should try to "fix the sins of the past."
"You're telling the director who to promote," Fuda said. "You're doing exactly what you're fighting against."
"No, I never told anyone who to hire," she responded.