Trending
BRIDGEPORT -- Some drivers who have been ticketed in Bridgeport recently are experiencing difficulties related to documentation that has gone missing from village files.
Bridgeport Village Council President Marvin Husarik said he has fielded around a dozen phone calls from residents the past few days regarding unpaid traffic tickets. Husarik assumed the mayoral duties after Mayor David W. Smith relinquished them when he was indicted last month on criminal charges including tampering with records, theft in office and conflict of interest. Smith is accused of stealing more than $20,000 from the village between June 2016 and November 2019. Smith allegedly removed cash payments and corresponding traffic tickets that were awaiting processing and kept the funds for personal gain.
Husarik said people with concerns are not just calling the office; they are also going to the municipal building to find out what is going on.
"It's not just Bridgeport residents. I've had people walk in, too -- one guy was from Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and one woman was from down south. There's been so many of them," he said.
The acting mayor said the people complained that they attempted to renew their driver's license or registration and were blocked from doing so by the state because records show they have unpaid traffic tickets. In some cases the tickets were paid, Husarik said, but the documentation has gone missing.
Husarik said he is sympathetic to those with concerns regarding the missing documentation.
"It could affect people's livelihoods," he said.
However, he said he is unsure of what happened to the missing documents.
"I don't know if it got misfiled or what happened," he said.
Husarik urges those affected to bring any proof they may have that they paid their tickets and he will attempt to rectify the situation.
"If they (residents) can produce a slip, I'll send it to Columbus and have it unblocked," he said.
In the meantime, the village is working toward a more permanent solution by purchasing new software that will keep track of all ticket billings and payments electronically. The software will cost around $6,000, he said. The mayor's court software purchase was approved at a special council meeting last month that also involved an executive session to discuss personnel matters.
"It will be really good for us to have. … It will relieve headaches. It's something we need," Husarik said.
The software purchase was recommended by Fiscal Officer Chris Kirby, Husarik said.
"We're making progress," he said. "We want to keep the ball rolling."
Smith has only temporarily foregone his duties -- he has not resigned, and he has not been convicted of any crime. His case is pending in Belmont County Common Pleas Court.
Husarik said Smith has more than three years remaining on his term but added that he believes the village may hold a special election in November to replace Smith in the mayor's seat.
When asked if he would consider running for the office, Husarik said he has not yet made that decision.