MANSFIELD — Sherry Branham-Fonner was appointed Wednesday morning as interim executive director of Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services.
The unanimous vote by the agency’s board to elevate the current associate director came after the board also voted unanimously to place Executive Director Joe Trolian on paid administrative leave.
Both votes came during an emergency meeting at 6:30 a.m. after the board charged Trolian during a special meeting Tuesday night with “neglect of duty.”
Branham-Fonner has worked as the associate director at the agency since 2008. Before that, she spent 15 years as program supervisor for Richland County Children Services.
An Ontario resident, Branham-Fonner was appointed to Ontario City Council in 2020 to complete an unexpired term. She is unopposed to be retained for that seat in the Nov. 7 general election.
Branham grew up in Wheelwright, a small, coal-mining town in eastern Kentucky. She moved to Ontario to live with her brother after graduating high school and has lived in Richland County since then.
Branham-Fonner will lead the agency until the board concludes its issues with Trolian.
In its resolution Wednesday morning, which came after another brief executive session, the board said Trolian will not have “have access to agency email, agency resources or the agency building for this period and will be asked to return all agency property.”
Prior to the vote, the board went into a closed-door session to discuss the details of Trolian’s paid leave. Questions were being asked by board members about Trolian’s agency laptop computer, his email access and other issues.
As the discussion continued, board member Jordon Wurthmann made a motion to enter executive session to discuss the employment of a public official. The board voted unanimously to move the discussion into a private session.
The board, after a 2 1/2-hour executive session Tuesday night, voted unanimously to file the “neglect of duty” allegations against Trolian, who has been the agency’s executive director for 16 years.
Trolian began work at the agency in August 2003 as the clinical director and became the executive director in October 2007.
According to the board, the charges stem from violations found in Ohio Revised Code 2921.42, which pertains to having an unlawful interest in a public contract, and also Ohio Administrative Code Section 102.03, which discusses ethical behavior by a public official.
The charges during the special board meeting come one week after a RCMH&RS board member resigned when county commissioners alleged he had improperly financially benefitted from public monies spent by the agency.
The vote, called by board chair Susan Bemiller, came after a closed-door meeting with Richland County Commissioner Cliff Mears, county Administrator Andrew Keller and county human resources director Kelly Christiansen.
Amanda Middis, the chief civil assistant in the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, also attended the meeting at the agency offices on East First Street Tuesday night and was also in attendance Wednesday morning.
After the meeting Tuesday, Middis said that under the terms of the board’s contract with Trolian, he has three days to respond to the administrative charges before a hearing is scheduled within 10 days of that date.
Richland Source filed a public records request Wednesday morning for a copy of the board’s contract with Trolian and also asked to review his personnel file.
“Under his contract, (the board is) required to issue these written charges in order to then have a hearing on those charges. That’s his opportunity to share his side,” Middis said.
If that hearing takes place, it would likely be done in executive session. Ultimately, the board would have to vote on Trolian’s future employment.
According to the board, the charges stem from violations found in Ohio Revised Code 2921.42, which pertains to having an unlawful interest in a public contract, and also Ohio Administrative Code Section 102.03, which discusses ethical behavior by a public official.
On Tuesday night, the board cited two sections of ORC 2921.42 in its allegations against Trolian.
The statute says:
(A) No public official shall knowingly do any of the following:
(1) Authorize, or employ the authority or influence of the public official’s office to secure authorization of any public contract in which the public official, a member of the public official’s family, or any of the public official’s business associates has an interest;
and
(4) Have an interest in the profits or benefits of a public contract entered into by or for the use of the political subdivision or governmental agency or instrumentality with which the public official is connected;
OAC 102.03 states:
No present or former public official or employee shall, during public employment or service or for twelve months thereafter, represent a client or act in a representative capacity for any person on any matter in which the public official or employee personally participated as a public official or employee through decision, approval, disapproval, recommendation, the rendering of advice, investigation, or other substantial exercise of administrative discretion.
On Oct. 24, mental health board member Jay Wachs, then the president of the non-profit group Gravity Ohio, submitted his resignation via email to commissioners, who discussed the issue during an hour-long executive session on Tuesday morning.
“We believe documents clearly show Mr. Wachs was personally and financially benefitting as a member of the Richland County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board,” Commissioner Tony Vero said.
Trolian also served as a board member for Gravity Ohio, according to documents released by the commissioners’ office.
According to Gravity Ohio Executive Director Eric Stigall early Wednesday morning, Wachs was fired from the organization Oct. 25 and Trolian resigned from the non-profit board on Oct. 26.
Commissioners said documents show payments being made by the mental health agency to the non-profit organization for a variety of services and purposes.
Wachs told Richland Source last week he is not compensated by Gravity Ohio and has “never been paid one dime” from his volunteer work with the non-profit organization he helped to found in 2022.
Commissioners appoint members to the 14-member RCMHRS board, all of which are volunteer, unpaid positions. They had appointed Wachs in 2021 to a four-year term.
Commissioners also released a document last week they said showed the mental health agency and its board proposing an agreement with mental health providers to share costs in developing public relations plans that could include Wachs through JW Consulting.
“If an agency is interested in working with JW Consulting or another firm for the purpose of developing a public relations plan to increase awareness of services, address workforce shortages or develop greater exposure in the community. The Board will agree to pay 50% of a 1-year contract for up to 10 hours per month or up to $7,200.00 per year,” according to the mental health board contract released by commissioners.
In addition to work with Wachs, there are documents showing a financial connection between the agency director and his wife.
In response to a public records request filed last week by Richland Source, commissioners released documents last week showing roughly $58,000 in mental health agency payments for products and services from The Change Companies in Carson City, Nev.
That company employed Trolian’s wife, Christy Ellis-Trolian, who has “more than 25 years of experience in mental health and addictions counseling, supervision and administration in various settings in Ohio,” according to the documents.
Among other things, Ellis-Trolian, as an employee of The Change Companies, conducted training sessions with local providers on behalf of the Richland County Mental Health agency, according to the documents provided by commissioners.