photo by: Gage Vota

Belmont County resident Frank Papini says that the Belmont County Board of Commissioners work for the residents of the county during a town hall meeting in Martins Ferry on Tuesday.

Who oversees the Belmont County Board of Commissioners? That is what Martins Ferry City Council member Suzanne Armstrong sought to find out during the board’s town hall meeting at the Martins Ferry Recreation Center on Tuesday.

The special meeting provided the opportunity for all county residents to ask the board any questions they wanted. The event was organized by city resident Richard Hord.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Armstrong asked the board who oversees its activities. Commissioner J.P. Dutton replied that there is technically no entity or person who oversees the board. Although there isn’t an oversight committee, he added that the board reports to the residents of Belmont County.

Dutton added that the board gets audited annually by the Ohio Auditor of State’s office and that every motion passed by the board has to at least have a 2-1 vote for it to be approved.

“Ultimately we answer to residents of the county. And if we’ve made a decision that people think is out of line, I’m sure the next time there’s an election there will be consequences from an election standpoint,” Dutton said.

Commissioner Jerry Echemann added that during every board meeting, there is an open public forum that doesn’t require any type of calling ahead or signing up.

“What amazes me is we have an open public forum in every meeting where a person can raise any issue. What amazes me is 90% of the time, someone comes in and raises a ruckus, if I can put it that way – 90% of the time it is something that we don’t have any control (over) — none whatsoever,” Echemann said.

“It’s not an issue for the board of commissioners. It’s an issue for someone else, and then you have to try to explain to them personally that we don’t have authority over that.”

He added that sometimes a resident comes in, and they’re hoping the meeting will get covered by the local news to gain the attention they think they need.

“If that fixes the problem, I guess that’s OK. But I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say 90% of the folks that come in and say, ‘I want this done about this, it’s been going on for years,’ it has nothing to do with us,” Echemann said.

Resident Frank Papini interjected and replied to Armstrong and said that he’s been attending commission meetings for years and believes that he and the people who regularly attend are vocal when they disagree with a motion or opinion made by the commissioners.

Papini added that at the end of the day, the commissioners work for the people.

Dutton said that the board strives to be as transparent as possible and welcomes all residents to have the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Organizer of the town hall meeting city resident Richard Hord then asked the board if any of the commissioners could comment on the potential reopening of the recently closed East Ohio Regional Hospital. The hospital was acquired by 360 Healthcare Inc. in June.

When acquired, company President Harold Ramsey made the ambitious plan to open in September. September is here and the hospital has not opened but announced a new potential opening for December.

Gianangeli said that Martins Ferry Mayor John Davies, who was at the meeting, would realistically know more than the board does. Davies said that any public statement he would be able to make would not be accurate due to the amount of moving parts that are constantly changing at the hospital.

“From our vantage point, there’s a lot of stakeholders that would want to see the facility utilized. I think that there are individuals outside of the Ohio Valley in Columbus and other places that want to see the facility reopened and will have a role to play, or are very willing to play a role, to try to make it happen,” Dutton said.

Davies agreed that he believes the stakeholders will play a role in getting the hospital reopened so they can recoup on their investment.

He added that he wanted to take a moment to give the board credit for playing a part in bringing Trinity Health System’s Neighborhood Hospital to St. Clairsville.

Davies said the new hospital cuts down on response times, which is crucial during a medical emergency.

He said that in an ideal world every town and village in the county would have a hospital, but he applauds the board for adding another hospital to the county.