AUSTINTOWN — The township’s two remaining trustees have had their first look at seven applicants who wish to join the board.

On Friday, township officials released the names of those who submitted letters of interest to be appointed as interim trustees in the wake of Robert Santos’s resignation from the board earlier this month.

At the beginning of the July 6 regular trustees meeting, Santos announced he was stepping down immediately after having accepted a position with Mahoning County as Project Manager-Capital Programs.

Per Ohio law, trustees Monica Deavers and Bruce Shepas must appoint an interim successor within 30 days. 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.

The list of seven interested applicants includes at least a few familiar names, including former trustee and Mahoning County commissioner David Ditzler, former Youngstown City councilman and 2025 trustee candidate Michael Rapovy, and Andrea Paventi — bailiff for Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony Donofrio.

Paventi also owns Northeast Ohio Court Services, a 72-hour state-certified driver’s intervention program, and was the former director of the Treatment Accountability for Safer Communities program at Meridian Healthcare.

“Professionally, I have spent nearly 30 years working with leaders across the Valley,” Paventi said. “My work has required careful budgeting, grant management, collaboration, and accountability…My goal as trustee is simple: strengthen Austintown by using resources wisely, collaborating with neighboring communities, improving roads and infrastructure, and supporting business development that benefits residents. I believe in lean, efficient government and in making sure every tax dollar is used effectively.”

Paventi has run for the office in the past, once winning more votes than Shepas, in 2015, and then losing to him when he claimed his seat on the board in 2023. Others on the list are not so familiar to the local political stage.

Jonathan J. Guerrier, 31, is the director of operations and programs for Salvation Army of the Mahoning Valley. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade in banking and finance.

Guerrier’s lengthy letter highlights many civic accomplishments and affiliations. He attended the Congressional Student Leadership Conference in Washington at age 15, and serves in civic and social groups, including Sons of the American Revolution, Struthers Rotary and the Austintown Historical Society.

“I believe township government should focus on practical service: protecting taxpayer

dollars, supporting public safety, maintaining roads and infrastructure, respecting seniors and families, strengthening community partnerships, and making sure residents feel heard,” he wrote. “If appointed, I recognize that I would be serving at a younger age than many who have held this type of public responsibility, and possibly as one of the youngest trustees in Austintown’s history. I do not take that lightly. I would view it not as a personal accomplishment, but as a responsibility to serve well, listen carefully, and lead with maturity. I also hope it would encourage younger generations to understand that service is not limited by age.”

Local attorney Michael Kachelries works as a staff attorney with Community Legal Aid Services. But the former U.S. Army officer was once in charge of a forward surgical team in Afghanistan, and also served in Iraq. He also serves the community’s youth, as a Austintown Junior Soccer League Coach and member of Austintown Band Parents.

Kachelries said he is not seeking the job out of ambition, but to determine whether he can help the township through his service as a trustee.

“I simply believe I have developed knowledge, experience, and leadership skills that can benefit Austintown. If appointed, my goal would be to listen carefully, work collaboratively with fellow trustees and township officials, and make decisions that are in the best interests of our residents,” he wrote. “If, through my service, I earn the confidence of the community and believe I can continue making a positive difference, I would welcome the opportunity to seek the position through the election process.”

Tadarrelle Lett is a community health worker with CareSource, and like Paventi has a background in disability services, behavioral health, substance-use treatment, corrections, and workforce development.

“My life’s work is centered around advocating for individuals and building robust community support systems,” he wrote. “I have a long history of establishing collaborative partnerships with local employers, educational institutions, and healthcare systems across Ohio to expand workforce development and public health access.”

Lett serves as a board member and co-director of the Board Development Committee for the Buick Center, as well as a board member for CASA of Summit County.

He said that if appointed, his goal is to “ensure Austintown remains a safe, vibrant, and

economically resilient community where families thrive,” by strengthening community infrastructure to make resources accessible to all residents, especially high-risk and senior populations; enhance operational efficiency by implementing “data-informed, evidence-based decision-making models that maximize the impact of local tax dollars; and fostering resident engagement.

Fred Owens was a professor of business and program head of telecommunication

studies at Youngstown State University for 50 years. Now retired, he still serves the university as professor emeritus.

He served as chairman of the YSU Department of Communication from 1983 until 1998, authored YSU’s first Strategic Plan in 1993, supervised North Central accreditation visits, and oversaw National Association of Schools of Theater accreditation. He has served on the administrative bargaining team to implement the interest-based bargaining model for the YSU-OEA collective agreement.

Owens guided the creation and implementation of the “Austintown 20/20” community vision plan and has consulted to media companies on their strategic planning processes. He is a board member for the Associated School Employees Credit Union and a member of the Board of Supervisors of Mahoning Soil and Water Conservation District. He was inducted to the Austintown Hall of Fame by the Austintown Growth Foundation in 2016, and was a president of that organization.

The township’s statement on Monday said trustees are not bound to make a selection from the pool of seven, but those applicants will be reviewed and considered first. If Shepas and Deavers cannot agree on an appointment, the decision goes to Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert Rusu.