What do Trumbull County commissioners do?

The short answer

Trumbull County is run by a three-member Board of Commissioners, elected by the whole county. They are the county's executives. They hold the county checkbook.

What the job actually covers

• The county budget. Commissioners adopt it every year. Every county dollar passes through their votes.
• Contracts and spending. They approve purchases, projects, and vendor contracts for the county.
• County buildings and property. Courthouses, offices, facilities: the board manages them.
• Outside money. Federal and state funds that come to the county, like the $38 million in ARP relief, are administered by the commissioners.
• County services. Departments that are not run by another elected official answer to the board, and the ones that are still depend on the budget the board sets.

Who does what at the courthouse

The sheriff, auditor, treasurer, prosecutor, and other county officials are elected separately and run their own offices. The commissioners do not run those offices, but they approve the budget that funds them. That is why the board matters so much: the money runs through the commissioners.

Why this race matters

If the job is mostly budgets, contracts, and accountability, then the question on your ballot is simple: who do you trust with the county checkbook? Michael J. Hovis has balanced budgets as a two-term township trustee, run a police department, and built a business on millions of dollars in competitively awarded government contracts. Here are his six priorities, and here is his record. For the deeper tour of the county, see how Trumbull County government works.

Paid for by Friends of Michael J. Hovis