BOARDMAN — The township’s Board of Trustees will welcome a new face and bid farewell to a long-time public servant.

With 194 of 212 precincts reporting, according to unofficial results from the Mahoning County Board of Elections, voters retained newly appointed Trustee Steve Yacovone and elected Matt Gambrel to fill the seat currently held by Tom Costello.

Costello and Larry Moliterno appointed Yacovone to the seat in March after then-trustee Brad Calhoun filled the role of Fiscal Officer, vacated by the retired William Leicht. Calhoun ran unopposed for that seat.

As of 9:30 p.m. Gambrel led the voting with 29.5%, followed closely by Yacovone’s 27.7%. Political newcomer Cody McCormick won 22.8%, and Costello lost his seat with just 19.9% of the vote.

Gambrel declined to comment on his victory Tuesday night, and Yacovone said he wanted to wait until all results were official.

Costello served from 1999 to 2005, when he was defeated. He rejoined the board four years later and has been a mainstay ever since.

He was brief in his comments Tuesday night.

“I am very proud of my service over the years to Boardman and I wish the township the best going forward,” he said.

During the campaign, Costello touted his experience and professional relationships as a strength, in contrast to Gambrel and McCormick, whom he criticized for not attending meetings or understanding township government.

Costello led the charge for regionalizing fire and ambulance services by attempting to merge Boardman’s fire department with Canfield’s Cardinal Joint Fire District. He said he would like to revisit that effort if he were re-elected.

In the week before the election, Costello joined his fellow trustees in cutting the ribbons on the new Clarence R. Smith, Mahoning Valley First Responders Wellness Center and on the Forest Lawn Stormwater Park. Two years ago, the township also won a $47 million FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant to help correct major flooding issues around the Boardman Plaza.

McCormick slammed the trustees and called the events publicity stunts.

Gambrel, a probate lawyer, is a Boardman native who wants to see the township provide more transparency, especially as it seeks solutions to a potential loss of residential property tax income, which comprises about 90% of the township’s budget.

He said he wants to see Boardman explore new and better options for problems like flooding, the ownership at Southern Park Mall, ambulance services, and personnel management.

He said he believes the township can do more to entice new investors, especially those who may be willing to buy the mall from its current problematic owner, Kohan Realty Investment Group, which owes hundreds of thousands in unpaid taxes and utility bills.