ASHTABULA – After many years of service to the City of Ashtabula, including the last nine as a city council member, Ward I Councilor Kym A. Foglio has announced her resignation from Ashtabula City Council due to a move out of the city.
She notified city council President John Roskovics of the resignation in a June 23rd letter.
“It is with great sadness that after 43 years of service to the City of Ashtabula I am announcing my resignation from the Ward 1 Position, Ashtabula City Council, effective immediately,” Foglio, who is the retired Chief Clerk of the Ashtabula Municipal Court, wrote in the letter. “My husband and I have had the wonderful opportunity to buy his parent’s home located in Saybrook Township, and our move is now complete. Downsizing our large home and moving into a smaller, more manageable home has been a dream of ours for years and this opportunity was one that we could not pass up.”
In her letter, Foglio thanked Roskovics for his guidance, patience and unending service to the City of Ashtabula, saying she has truly enjoyed working with him.
“I thank the voters for their support for the past nine years, and wish the City of Ashtabula great success and growth in the years to come,” she added.
Foglio, the chairperson of council’s Finance and Personnel Committee and the co-chairperson of council’s Safety Forces Committee, said in an email that “the ‘Voice for the People’ has spoken her last words, at least as far as the City is concerned, but you haven’t seen the last of me.”
When asked about her most significant achievements on council, Foglio said, “My biggest accomplishment isn’t measured by what one person does, but by what we do collectively as a council.”
One thing she was proud of was keeping the city police department fully staffed with state-of-the-art tools to help them with their jobs.
“As chairman of the Finance and Personnel committee, we saved over 10 million in our assets and investments,” she added.
Foglio said she always tried to advocate for the city employees “with fairness for all.”
She was also proud of keeping Ashtabula “moving in a forward direction and making this city a great place to work, grow and raise your family.”
“While we have many hurdles to get over, Ashtabula is a wonderful place,” she commented. “Sometimes living here, we are blinded to what our city has to offer. Beautiful beaches, wineries, hotels, concerts, festivals, Bridge Street retail and restaurants, the marinas and our lake. I am proud of what Ashtabula has become and look forward to a prosperous future. Councilors need to work as a group and leave personal agendas out of leading this City forward.”
Roskovics said Foglio’s departure “will be a huge loss for our city.”
“She was just an excellent councilor who always put Ashtabula first,” he said, when asked for comment. “She was so knowledgeable and straightforward. She did what she thought was best for the city and did not let politics influence any of her decisions. She will be missed and in my years on council and as a citizen watching council I can easily say she was one of the best.”
He and Foglio have known each other for a long time.
“I’ve known Kym since we were in grade school,” he said. “We belong to the same church. She’s a good Democrat also. Her mom at 93 still bakes for when the party is having an event.”
Council member Jane DiGiacomo also had kind words for Foglio.
“I appreciated Kym’s service to the residents of Ashtabula and wish her well in her future endeavors,” she commented.
“Kym always came prepared for meetings and provided valuable insights, especially on our finances,” City Manager Jim Timonere said. “I appreciate her years of service to the city, and I will miss working with her.”
“I wish her the best of luck in her future plans,” council member Terence Guerriero said.
City Solicitor Cecilia Cooper said in an email that Foglio has “always been a strong voice in support of city employees.” She said Foglio will be missed.
When asked for comment, Cooper outlined what will happen now that Foglio has resigned.
According to Cooper, R.C. 731.41 requires the Democratic Party County central committee members who represent Ward 1 to meet and appoint a successor who will finish out Foglio’s term.
“That process must begin not less than five days and no more than 45 days after the vacancy occurred,” Cooper said.
Susan Hagan, the Ashtabula County Democratic Party chair, said the party was putting out a public notice in the newspapers soliciting letters of interest and resumes from people interested in the position. There will be a two-week deadline to respond.
“We’re working on that right now today,” she said.
Then, the secretary of the Democratic Party, Phyllis Dunlap, will call and facilitate a meeting in which applicants will be able to speak.
The four Democratic Party Central Committee members in Ward I will choose the person to fill the seat.
Hagan was hoping for a good response.
“I’m curious to see how this will play out, if we get a lot of people or two,” she said. “I hope it’s a lot. I want people to get involved in public service.”
