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Mahoning prosecutor lays off three workers, rejects staff pay cuts
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Paul Gains
‘Everybody has to tighten their belts,’ the prosecutor says.
YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul J. Gains has laid off two part-time assistant prosecutors and a full-time clerk to achieve about $150,000 in annual savings, but he said he hasn’t considered a pay cut for all members of his staff.
“We’re already underpaid” in comparison with other county prosecutors and city prosecutors in the region, Gains said, dismissing an across-the-board pay cut.
Gains’ position is in contrast to that of Judge Theresa Dellick of the county’s juvenile court, who imposed a 5 percent pay reduction on all 143 members of her staff, including herself, effective at the beginning of this month, for an annual saving of $235,212. That pay reduction followed the layoffs of 11 juvenile-court workers in January.
Gains’ position also contrasts with the contract ratified last week by county sheriff’s deputies, whose work hours and pay are being reduced by one day every two weeks, and with the 10 percent pay cut being taken by Sheriff Randall A. Wellington and his leadership team.
Friday was the last day of work for the laid-off prosecutors, Robert E. Duffrin, a drug task force prosecutor hired in June 1997, and Rebecca Gerson, a civil division prosecutor hired in December 1998, Gains said.
“It’s unfortunate. We tried our best not to [lay anyone off], but we had to cut,” said Gains, who took office in January 1997. The layoffs were designed to cause “the least amount of damage” as possible to office operations, he added.
The part-time prosecutors’ departures will mean remaining prosecutors must assume their workload, Gains said.
Including the positions of those who have been laid off, Gains said his office is leaving five lawyer positions and two clerical positions vacant. “Everybody has to tighten their belts, and that’s what we’re doing,” the prosecutor said.
“The consequences are more work performed by fewer people, and obviously there’ll be more of a time delay” in responding to motions filed in court, he said.
“If you diminish the staff, that’s going to be fewer cases disposed of, which means fewer free beds in the jail. That’s the problem,” he said, referring to criminal cases in which defendants are incarcerated.
“The only time a machine can go into a courtroom is when it’s a video arraignment, but you still need a prosecutor” and a judge in the courtroom, he said.
Gains said county Administrator George J. Tablack told him the prosecutor’s office budget must be trimmed 10 percent below the $3.4 million the office spent last year.
Besides making the spending cuts through staff reductions, Gains said his office also is enhancing its revenue by being more aggressive in obtaining reimbursement to the general fund for its legal services to county agencies outside that fund.
The general fund, which supports the sheriff’s department, the prosecutor’s office, the courts and other central functions of county government, is the county’s main operating fund.
As to whether more cuts are needed as a result of the economic slump, Gains said: “Time will tell.” His office will be watching to see how much sales tax revenue the county gets this month, he said. March is normally the peak month for sales tax receipts, and those receipts most fully reflect Christmas sales.
The county auditor’s office reports all four major general fund revenue streams — the sales tax, the real estate tax, state funds and interest income — are declining.
milliken@vindy.com
Comments
if the money is tight, then why not get a team together to round up every single person that has a warrent insted of letting them go all because they styed underground for awhile. and once they are caught make them not only pay for the crimes they commited but also for the courts time and the special task fees.
If the Juvenile Court staff got an 8% raise, then took a 5% pay reduction, does that not come out to a 3% raise?
Not quite Tugboat.
If you were making $100 and got an 8% raise, you are now making $108. If you then take a 5% cut, ($5.40) you are then making $102.60. In effect a 2.6% raise over the original $100.
For the sake of clarification, it must be stated that the Juvenile Court Staff did not get an 8% raise. It is true that some staff received merit and/or years of service increases that, in some cases amounted to 3% (no more, and in some cases, less). Those that received said increases prior totaled approximately one-half of those who recently had pay decreases. Judge Dellick continues to explore every avenue available to reduce the "bottom line" budget at the Court while maintaining mandated services for the juveniles and families of Mahoning County.
Tugboat: I don't understand where you got your information about the 8% pay increase? Maybe if you got a promotion you received a raise other than that no pay raise. JJC is not a union shop like other county jobs they just don't get raises for the hell of it. They happen to be the lowest paid county workers and they just took a true paycut.
will bob bush be laidoff? he was hired last as a full time employee;last one in first one out.
Hey Paul,
You may feel your office is underpaid, but the valley is also much poorer than the cities you are comparing yourself to.
I certainly hope you invite those laid off people to your lavish home for dinner every night-I guess they're a little more underpaid now too!
Why not take the pay cut (yep, you too) and keep all your staff? Instead you cut the staff even further-reducing the quality of work you're supposed to do in favor of the quantity of work.
Net result-Valley allows more criminals to run free, oh and you can get that new pool you had your eye on.
What about the lawyers and staff just hired? Cut two veterans but hire new ones who have to take time and money to learn on the job? Take a good look at the size of the prosecutor's offce - over 35 lawyers, many still part time. And "part-time" is 32 hours if you check the work schedules. All that and they still can't get the work done? And they want more money without any pay cuts? Perhaps they haven't heard that there is a national recession. How many of those positions were already unfilled? Will $150 grand balance the office budget more than if there were across the board pay cuts? Such arrogance. Well voters and tax payers remember this next time you can't pay your bills. After all, you're not underpaid but they are.
Gains fired these two prosecutors for political reasons. Duffrin offices with Yavorcik. Gerson offices with Mark Hanni who ran Heidi's campaign.
Gains owes the County. Most of the County's financial problems stem from the jail. Gains and his incompetent Civil Division entered into a Consent Decree with the County Jail's prisoners' attorneys. Because they were afraid they (the Civil Division) did not litigate the case. The Prosecutor's Office Civil Division, who had never been to Federal Court, refused to fight for the County against the prisoners, and entered into a "Consent Decree" . We have been paying the cost ever since. It is millions of dollars.
The Mahoning County Prosecutor's Office Civil Division is headed by Lynette Stratford. She is Gains former? lover. She hires only female lawyers, who work four days per week and get paid for five days plus full benefits. THEY DO NOT TRY CASES. GAINS HAS BEEN SCAMMING YOU PEOPLE FOR 12 YEARS!