Longtime Mill Creek MetroParks board member Dr. Robert Durick, whose term expired Dec. 31, opted at the last minute not to seek reappointment to the board.
Mahoning County Probate Judge Robert N. Rusu Jr., who is responsible for appointing park board members, announced Wednesday that he reappointed board member Germaine Bennett, and had received notice from Durick that he would not seek another term.
The judge said he received Durick’s letter Wednesday.
Durick said in his letter that he made the decision “so that he could focus more time on his dental practice and expanding his business interests,” according to a news release from the judge.
Durick’s tenure on the board began in January 2010. “I did a wonderful seven years,” said Durick when reached by The Vindicator. He said that he is confident he is leaving the park “in the best hands it’s been in in years,” lauding the job that MetroParks Executive Director Aaron Young and his staff have done.
“You’re not going to get rid of me, though,” Durick added. “I’ll still be at all the events.”
Judge Rusu now is tasked with filling the vacancy on the five-person board. He will convene a selection committee to help him vet candidates, a system that he started last year to fill vacancies created by two resignations.
The judge empaneled a 10-person committee that reviewed applications and forwarded its recommendations to him. He then made his selections from those recommendations.
He said he opted to use that system for future appointments due to its success the first time around.
“I was pretty proud of my idea. When you have a good idea, you stick with it,” he said. “I was very proud of what they did.”
The judge said he will contact the original 10 members to see if they will again serve on the committee.
As for the timeline for appointing a new board member, Judge Rusu said he does not have a specific date in mind.
“I don’t want to rush this process,” he said. “If we’re lucky, maybe next meeting, which would be in February, but there’s no rush to do it. I want to get the right person.”
Applications for the board seat are available starting today at Mahoning County Probate Court, located in the county courthouse on Market Street, downtown, and online at probate.mahoningcountyoh.gov. Interested parties must file a notarized application to the courthouse by 4:30 p.m. Jan. 20.
Bennett, of Youngstown, was first appointed to the board in February 2015 to fill the unexpired term of Valencia Morrow.
She serves on numerous other boards and organizations, including the Raymond John Wean Foundation, Mercy Health Partners SWO, Wick Neighbors and Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation.
To read the full article from the Vindicator, click here.
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