Leaders at odds over port authority

The Lake County commissioners have tabled an appointment to the port authority board as a possible conflict of interest is investigated, but the choice has caused a rift between commissioners for another reason.

The commissioners are considering Wally Siegel for the appointment to the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority board. Siegel retired as Perry Township administrator last October.

“I believe my 30 years of experience as Perry Township Administrator would be an asset to the port authority,” Siegel wrote to commissioners in an Oct. 25 letter. “The port authority has the ability to move Lake County forward and I would like to contribute to that process.”

Siegel serves on a Perry Economic Development Council and is also a member of the Perry Joint Economic Development District. Before the meeting, Commissioner John Hamercheck said it was brought to his attention that there were concerns of a possible conflict of interest due to the involvement in those organizations. The decision was tabled as the county’s legal team makes

a determination.

Those concerns were also voiced during the public portion comment of the meeting by North Perry Mayor Ed Klco.

“I also question when someone is still involved in a government entity that they can be put on this port authority,” Klco said. “I feel that’s a conflict of interest. I would like to see it tabled and more research done on it. There’s some good people out there.”

Klco added he had nothing against Siegel personally.

He also said he was concerned that a female candidate was not being considered for the role on the board.

The port authority board now sits at nine members after the dissolution of the Greater Mentor Port Authority last year. There are currently eight members on the board — all men — after Rita McMahon resigned from the board at the end of October.

McMahon, a former Painesville city manager, stepped down because she moved out of the county. The county commissioners are tasked with appointing members to the board. Siegel

is the candidate being considered to fill out the remainder of McMahon’s term that runs through the end of 2020.

“I’m a little surprised and set back that they haven’t looked at a female to make that appointment,” Klco said. He’s not alone. Lake County Commissioner Daniel P. Troy had previously expressed that he was interested in looking at female candidates to fill the role.

At the Jan. 16 meeting, Troy said they should “redouble their efforts” to find a woman to fill the seat.

“Since its inception, we’ve always had at least one female member,” he said. “We’ve now expanded to nine members. If this appointment would go through, we would have a port authority of nine member in this county all males.”

The commissioners interviewed four people for the position, Troy said. Three of them were women.

Though he didn’t mention her by name, Troy said one stood out as having “outstanding credentials.” She had an MBA in business from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management. Her education background also included the University of Pennsylvania’s

Wharton School of Business. He said she has also worked with the port authority previously.

“I just don’t understand at this day and age of an emphasis on more diversity that we want to fill this port authority out with our ninth of nine male members,” he said.

Hamercheck said one of McMahon’s primary requests was that the commissioners select someone with government experience. He said that was his driving factor in considering Siegel.

“Rita’s experience is well recognized and her contributions over the years are unquestioned,” he said.

Troy countered by saying “with all due respect Rita does not have the appointing authority to this board we do.”

“Fair enough, I try to take good advice when it comes,” Hamercheck said before seconding a motion to table the resolution.

The port authority does have one other member with city public administration experience. John Konrad served three years as Mentor city manager before retiring from the position in 2009.

He spent 18 years working for the city, first as an engineer, and his term on the board runs through 2020.