AUSTINTOWN — The township is down to two trustees after the board chair resigned on Monday.

Trustee Robert Santos stepped down at the beginning of the regular trustees meeting, informing the audience that he has accepted a position with Mahoning County.

Santos, originally elected in 2021, was reelected to his seat in November with 29.5% of the vote, coming in 1,624 votes over former trustee Jim Davis and just behind Trustee Monica Deavers, who also won reelection. Deavers, as the board’s vice-chair, will take over the gavel from Santos.

“Tonight is bittersweet for me. For the past several years, it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as an Austintown Township trustee,” Santos said. “When I first took office, I made the commitment that I would always put the residents first. Every decision I made was guided by one simple question: is this in the best interest of our residents? That commitment has never changed, nor will it.”

Santos accepted the position of Project Manager-Capital Programs, which is focused on economic development.

“It’s my job to gather information for the Mahoning County Commissioners so that they can make the most informed decisions possible about economic development and investment in the county,” he said.

Per Ohio law, Deavers and fellow trustee Bruce Shepas must appoint an interim successor to Santos within 30 days.

Shepas said it could be as easy as them just deciding on a good candidate and making a collective decision. However, with Shepas as a Republican and Deavers a Democrat, the process could be more complicated. He said he expects they will need to accept resumes for the position and perhaps conduct interviews.

If the two trustees cannot agree, the decision goes to Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert Rusu.

Whoever takes the seat within the next month will have to run in November 2027 for the remainder of Santos’s term, which expires at the end of 2029. Shepas also is running for reelection to his seat on that same ballot.

This is the second time in three years that the board has been faced with appointing a trustee, although for a decidedly different, and more agreeable, reason.

On August 15, 2023, then Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova informed the board that then trustee Steve Kent was ineligible to remain in office, a day after Kent was convicted of tampering with evidence, a third-degree felony, in a case that also accused him of sexual battery.

The jury acquitted Kent of those more serious charges, related to an alleged inappropriate relationship with a Poland High School student while he was the school resource officer there. Felony convictions render Ohioans unfit for office, per Ohio Revised Code.

After Kent’s ouster, Deavers and Santos appointed former township administrator Mike Dockry to serve as interim trustee. Dockry did not seek the seat in that year’s election, which saw Shepas claim the job.

PRAISE FOR SANTOS

Before taking a short recess to celebrate Santos with cake and cookies, his township colleagues lauded him for his commitment to the job.

“If he could run through a brick wall to get funding, I know Trustee Santos would do that for us,” said Township Administrator Mark D’Apolito.

Shepas took the chance to throw some good-natured ribbing at his fellow trustee.

“Is he a little rough around the edges? Yeah. Yeah, he is. Is he a little abrasive? Maybe, just a little. Should he think a little bit more before he speaks? Probably. I’m sure his wife, Kristen, can attest to that. However, he’s the hardest worker I know,” Shepas said. “I don’t know another trustee that’s worked as hard as he has…I’ve learned so much from him.

“Robert, thank you for what you’ve done for me. You’ve made me a better leader and I appreciate everything you’ve done. I’m thankful for you as a resident, a taxpayer and as a leader of this township,” Shepas said.

“I wanna thank you, Robert, for everything you’ve done for Austintown. I wish you the best as you begin this new chapter with Mahoning County,” Deavers said. “It’s been a pleasure working with you. And yes, you have taught me a lot, especially the political part. I was never a political person.”

Santos has earned respect from local legislators at the state and federal level and even those across party lines.

Last year, he led a delegation of community leaders from Mahoning and Trumbull counties to Columbus to persuade the House and Senate not to claw back the local government’s 35% share of the 10% excise tax the state collects from the sale of recreational marijuana. They were successful.

He also took his fellow trustees down to Washington, D.C., to lobby for a $5 million grant that would have allowed the township to complete a large repair of sanitary lines in and around Austintown Township Park. While unsuccessful, he and Deavers say they learned a great deal about the process that will help them with securing similar grants in the future.

The township also received a $500,000 Ohio Jobs OSIP grant to support the industrial and commercial project for GSP Land Holdings project on Silica Road, for which trustees approved a 10-year tax abatement in September.

Along with his own reelection in 2025, Santos also joined his fellow trustees in a successful campaign to pass a 2.22-mill, five-year renewable police levy that will generate $2 million annually. The victory came a year after voters defeated a 2.4-mill continuous levy.

Santos said he intends to bring the same zeal for his work to the county position and will not forget where he lives.

“As a trustee, I fought every day for Austintown. In this new role, I will continue that same fight, not just for Austintown, but for every community throughout Mahoning County,” he said.

“I will always be proud of Austintown, be proud to call it my home. I’ve always been proud of the work that we have all accomplished here. While my title may change, my commitment to public service and to the people of this community will not falter.”

People interested in applying for the seat should send a letter of interest to the Board of Austintown Township Trustees, 82 Ohltown Road, Austintown, OH 44515 before July 16. Applications will only be accepted through the mail.