Special Wednesday meeting called to replace Austintown Trustee Steve Kent

Appointing a new trustee is one of the agenda items during a special meeting of the Austintown Township scheduled for Wednesday.

Austintown Township Trustee Robert Santos confirmed that Steve Kent had been removed from his trustee seat, and the special meeting will be to appoint a trustee to fill the seat until January. Kent's Trustee seat will be on the ballot in November.

Township trustees emailed 21 News a notice that the special meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, August 16 at 11 a.m.

There are two items on the agenda.  One is to consider a motion to appoint Mark D’Apolito as interim fiscal officer. The second item simply reads, “for the purpose of appointing a new trustee.”

Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova told 21 News that she conferred with the Chief Counsel of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office who confirmed "that a letter not required as RC 2961.01(A) provides, by operation of law, that an individual is incompetent to hold office upon the return of a verdict finding him guilty of a felony. Since a jury returned a verdict finding Steve Kent guilty of a felony, he was rendered incompetent to hold his position of Austintown Township Trustee. His office is now vacant."

Trustee Steve Kent did not attend Monday night’s meeting of fellow trustees, which was held just hours after a jury found him guilty of one felony count of tampering with evidence.  Kent was acquitted of sexual battery charges.

Under Ohio law, the felony conviction prohibits Kent from continuing to hold office.  Kent did not file petitions to seek reelection.