WARREN — The first Trumbull County Commissioners meeting of 2024 degenerated to a series of insults and accusations — similar to what occurred in many meetings in 2023.

Commissioner Mauro Cantalamessa during the board’s reorganizational meeting nominated current commissioner president Denny Malloy to be re-elected as the board’s president. Malloy seconded the nomination.

“Over the course of the year, there has been a spirit of bi-partisanship, at least by two commissioners,” Cantalamessa said during his nomination. “This is a great honor to reappoint him.”

Commissioner Niki Frenchko, in response, argued there has been no spirit of cooperation with the current president of the board.

“The meetings have been done more horribly, with employees being permitted to lodge insults — including himself — degrading me, which, I believe, opens the county up to liability,” Frenchko said. “We need to have a president that has an understanding of ‘Robert’s Rules of Order,’ which have not been followed one week over the last year.”

Frenchko described former commissioner Frank Fuda, as well as current commissioners Cantalamessa and Malloy colluding to prevent her from being elected as the board’s president.

“Yet, they point the finger at me as a reason why the meeting descended into chaos,” she said. “The reason I believe they work so well together is the president of the board is not truly a Republican.”

“Citizens of Trumbull County deserve more organized meetings,” Frenchko said.

She accused the board’s majority of recklessly spending county funds, without working to improve work or operational efficiencies.

Cantalamessa reminded Frenchko that she has been advocating for the board to enter into a contract with Western Reserve Transit Authority, which, if successful, would require county taxpayers to support spending $7 million a year for transit.

Malloy, who has been open that he formerly voted as a Democrat, said he changed parties in 2022, but had voted Republican in general elections even before that time.

“I’ve worked with Republican candidates running for the house, the senate and many other things in my career,” Malloy said. “I’ve worked in a bi-partisan way my entire life. I am as pro-life, pro-gun and pro-conservative values as anyone you’ve met.”

Malloy said he resented being identified as a Democrat.

“I walked away from the Democratic Party as I matured in life,” Malloy said.

He reminded Frenchko that she had been censured by the Trumbull County Republican party in 2023.

Malloy noted that Frenchko, like himself, previously had been identified as a Democrat in prior elections. He noted she ran as an independent against Fuda in 2018.

However, according to Trumbull County Board of Elections records, Frenchko was identified as a Democrat from 2014 through 2017. She was identified as a Republican in 2020.

Malloy said he could not support Frenchko becoming the board’s president because she has not attended 44 of the board’s workshop meetings, where she could get answers to many questions she will ask during the board’s general meeting. He also criticized Frenchko for, over the last year, hurling insults at staff members and other elected officials.

“You think that deserves being president? You think that behavior warrants being president? Me giving you this gavel would be like somebody giving Jeffrey Dahmer a fork. It’s not gonna happen,” Malloy said.

Frenchko suggested that she is the person who has been the target of some county employees’ insults and has had employees working to have her removed from office.

The commissioners also:

• Voted to approve travel and other related expenses to various department heads and their designees to attend conferences related to their departments agendas.

• Voted to approve a temporary appropriation resolution that will allow the county to financially operate through the first quarter of 2024. Commissioners may use up to 25% of the total projected budget for 2024. The commissioners will be required to pass an official 2024 budget before March 31.

• Voted to approve mileage reimbursement at 67 cents per mile for business expenses.

The commissioners next public workshop is scheduled to take place at 10:30 a.m. today and its regular meeting will take place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, both in the commissioner’s meeting room.

*This article has been edited to correct inaccurate information.