Tom Mangan, a Lorain County resident, used the public-comment period at the Jan. 17 commissioners meeting to ask the board to reconsider a recent hire to a county position.

Why it matters: Public comment raised concerns about the county’s hiring decision for a position described in the meeting record with a six-figure salary. The comment called attention to the board’s obligation to public trust in hiring for senior county roles.

What Mangan said: Mangan said he had been an assistant prosecuting attorney who worked with the person he named and that he believes the individual’s conduct while in the prosecutor’s office contributed to the public’s vote in November removing certain officials from office. He told the board the hire provides a $120,000 position with a “very vaguely described” job and asked the commissioners to rescind the hiring decision and to reopen the position to all qualified applicants. In his remarks Mangan said he had notified county officials in advance of his intent to speak but did not find the person in the room.

Direct quote: “I respectfully request your reconsideration of this decision,” Mangan said, speaking to the board and identifying himself by name during public comment.

What the board did: The public comment concluded with no immediate board action; the meeting proceeded to executive session and routine agenda items. The board later moved into an executive session for personnel, legal updates and potential litigation as announced on the public record.

What was not established in the public record: The board did not discuss or vote on the hire during the open meeting; the meeting transcript contains several variant spellings of the name Mangan referenced while speaking. The transcript does not record any board response to the substance of the request during open session.